Abstract
Rats trained to push a joystick to the left or right for food reward were given two successive tests in which neither response was reinforced. Prior to Test 1, subjects were either confined in the apparatus with a passive conspecific (Group None), or allowed to observe a conspecific demonstrator making 50 nonreinforced responses in the direction that had beeirrewarded during observer training (Group Same) or in the opposite direction (Group Different). In Test 1, Group Same made fewer previously reinforced responses than did Group Different, which made fewer than Group None, and Groups Same and Different each made fewer previously nonreinforced responses than did Group None. In Test 2, Group Same made fewer previously reinforced responses than did Group None. These results indicate that observation of nonreinforced responding can reduce resistance to extinction (Test 1) and spontaneous recovery (Test 2) in rats.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Clifford, T. (1964). Extinction following continuous reward and latent extinction.Journal of Experimental Psychology,68, 456–465.
Galef, B. G. (1988). Imitation in animals: History, definition and interpretation of data from the psychological laboratory. In T. R. Zentall & B. G. Galef (Eds.),Social learning: Psychological and biological perspectives (pp. 3–28). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Galef, B. G., Manzig, L. A., &Field, R. M. (1986). Imitation learning in budgerigars: Dawson and Foss (1965) revisited.Behavioural Processes,13, 191–202.
Henning, J. M., &Zentall, T. R. (1981). Imitation, social facilitation, and the effects of ACTH 4–10 on rats’ bar-pressing behavior.American Journal of Psychology,94, 125–134.
Heyes, C. M. (in press). Imitation, culture and cognition.Animal Behaviour.
Heyes, C. M., &Dawson, G. R. (1990). A demonstration of observational learning using a bidirectional control.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology,42B, 59–71.
Heyes, C. M., Dawson, G. R., &Nokes, T. (1992). Imitation in rats: Initial responding and transfer evidence.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology,45B, 229–240.
Heyes, C. M.,Jaldow, E.,Nokes, T., &Dawson, G. R. (1993).Imitation in rats: The role of demonstrator action. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Hogan, D. E. (1986). Observational learning of a conditional hue discrimination in pigeons.Learning & Motivation,17, 40–58.
Hogan, D. E. (1988). Learned imitation by pigeons. In T. R. Zentall & B. G. Galef (Eds.),Social learning: Psychological and biological perspectives (pp. 225–238). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Levine, J. &Zentall, T. R. (1974). Effect of a conspecific’s presence on deprived rats’ performance: Social facilitation vs distraction/imitation.Animal Learning & Behavior,2, 119–122.
Mackintosh, N. J. (1974).The psychology of animal learning. London: Academic Press.
Robinson, D. E., &Capaldi, E. J. (1958). Spontaneous recovery following non-response extinction.Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology,51, 644–646.
Roder, E. L., Timmermans, J. A., &Vossen, J. M. H. (1989). The role of modelling in prevention and extinction of phobic behaviour in cynomolgus monkeys.Behaviour Research & Therapy,27, 637–645.
Seward, J. P., &Levy, H. (1949). Latent extinction: Sign learning as a factor in extinction.Journal of Experimental Psychology,39, 660–668.
Thorpe, W. H. (1956).Learning and instinct in animals. London: Methuen.
Zentall, T. R., &Levine, J. M. (1972). Observational learning and social facilitation in the rat.Science,178, 1220–1221.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by a grant from the Leverhulme Trust. We are grateful to Paula Durlach for her suggestions regarding the design of the experiment, to Roger Bunce and Jim Chambers for help in the design and construction of the apparatus, and to Henry Plotkin, Phil Reed, and an anonymous reviewer for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heyes, C.M., Jaldow, E. & Dawson, G.R. Observational extinction: Observation of nonreinforced responding reduces resistance to extinction in rats. Animal Learning & Behavior 21, 221–225 (1993). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197985
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197985