Abstract
A one-trial-a-day discrete-trial avoidance conditioning procedure run for 30 consecutive days was compared with a massed-trial procedure where Ss received 30 consecutive trials within 1 day. The Ss in both groups were equated for time each S spent in the nonshock compartment of the apparatus, number of times the transport box carrying Ss was lifted out of the nonshock compartment, and the number of times each S was handled. The main difference between groups was the intersession trial length of 24 h for the one-trial-a-day Ss. Learning was rapid for both groups. The groups did not differ reliably on six acquisition indices. The methodological advantages of the one-trial-a-day procedure and its theoretical importance were discussed.
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The research reported in this manuscript was supported by Grant MH 16584 from the National Institutes of Health. The author also wishes to express his gratitude to Mark Holtkamp for his assistance in the collection of data.
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Levis, D.J. One-trial-a-day avoidance learning. Behav. Res. Meth. & Instru. 3, 65–67 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206987
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206987