Facilitation or bar-press avoidance by handling during the intertrial interval.

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Douglas Wahlsten, Visiting Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Experiment 1 demonstrated that handling rats prior to the start of a trial greatly facilitated bar-press avoidance learning. Although Ss which were also allowed to escape the training chamber following a bar press performed well, they were not significantly better than those Ss receiving handling only. Experiment 2, using concomitant measures of freezing and bar holding, investigated the effect of the interval between handling and the start of a trial. The resulting analysis provided evidence against bar holding and CS discriminability explanations of poor bar-press avoidance, while supporting the idea that conditioned freezing responses interfere with bar pressing.

Additional Information

Publication
Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1968, 65, 170-175.
Language: English
Date: 1968
Keywords
Learning, Handling, Animal behavior, Rats

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