Abstract
Five experiments are reported in which rats were given CS-shock pairings and then permitted, in the absence of shock, to perform a hurdle-jump response that led to CS offset. In Experiment 1–4, the animals failed to learn the required response. Although several procedural variations were employed, the experimental groups continued to perform no better than backward-conditioned controls. In Experiment 5, some animals were punished for remaining immobile during a single trial at the start of hurdle-jump training. These animals performed significantly better than nonpunished controls and better than any group in Experiments 1–4. The results support the idea that the major role of the CS in escape-from-fear situations is to activate an innate motivational system which chooses between the species-specific defense reactions of freezing and fleeing.
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Crawford, M., Masterson, F. & Wilson, D. Species-specific defense reactions in escape-from-fear situations. Animal Learning & Behavior 5, 63–72 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209133
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209133