8 rats were exposed to a procedure in which several escapable-shock sessions were alternated with inescapable-shock sessions. The conditioned escape behavior was observed to persist as superstitious escape during inescapable shock. The rate and resistance to extinction of the superstitious escape behavior was found to decline with repeated changes from escapable to inescapable shock. Amount of escape conditioning was not observed to affect this discrimination.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CampbellB. A.TeghtsoonianR.Electrical and behavioral effects of different types of shock stimuli on the rat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1958, 51, 185–192.
2.
DomjanM. P.Superstitious escape in the albino rat. Psychological Record, in press.
3.
MalottR. W.SidleyN. A.SchoenfeldW. N.Effects of separate and joint escape and avoidance contingencies. Psychological Reports, 1963, 13, 367–371.
4.
MiglerB.Experimental self-punishment and superstitious escape behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1963, 6, 371–385.