Abstract
Rats trained to avoid shock by traversing a start box and a 4-ft. runway were given 15 extinction trials followed by 60 punishment-extinction trials. During the latter series, three groups of Ss were punished with shock of decreasing, increasing, or constant intensities in the first 2-ft. alley section. Performance was an increasing function of shock intensity; however, gradual increases in intensity lessened the effect of strong shock. Gradually decreasing shock increased the effect of a less intense shock. Experiment 2 showed a similar intensity effect with an intermediate shock location and male as well as female Ss. Also, non-punished groups ran slower and were less resistant to extinction than punished groups.
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Supported in part by grant no. MH 13741-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health. We acknowledge the able technical assistance of Nevin Henson.
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Melvin, K.B., Bender, L. Self-Punitive Avoidance Behavior: Effects of Changes in Punishment Intensity. Psychol Rec 18, 29–34 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393737
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393737