Attempts to establish high levels of wheel-turning avoidance in rats using the traditional avoidance paradigm have met with indifferent success. In this study, 3 new paradigms, each involving gradual transitions from escape to avoidance, were evaluated under both free-responding and discrete-trial conditions. All 3 programs tended to produce more frequent avoidances than the conventional one and the discrete-trial method proved superior to the free-response arrangement.
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