Abstract
Rats that were given nonreinforced preexposure to either a warning signal or a safety signal were significantly retarded in the subsequent learning of a two-way shock-avoidance response compared to rats that were not preexposed. These results are consistent with Mackintosh’s “learned-irrelevance” formulation of latent inhibition. They do not support a prediction derived from an extension of Kalat and Rozin’s “learned-safety” hypothesis. These findings suggest that preexposures in the total absence of aversive events do not endow a stimulus with safety properties.
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This research was supported by Research Grant APA-0298 to Dr. S. Siegel from the National Research Council of Canada.
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Feldman, M.A. The effects of preexposure to a warning or a safety signal on the acquisition of a two-way avoidance response in rats. Animal Learning & Behavior 5, 21–24 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209126
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209126