Abstract
An exteroceptive feedback stimulus (FS) consequent upon an avoidance response was found functionally equivalent to the traditional warning signal termination (WST) contingency in reinforcing shuttlebox avoidance in the Mongolian gerbil. Thus, presentation of an FS in acquisition led to successful avoidance learning even in the absence of immediate WST, while no evidence of summation of the FS and WST contingencies was obtained. In extinction, relatively abrupt loss of responding was observed regardless of the programmed consequences of an avoidance response. These results were discussed in terms of an informational hypothesis of avoidance behavior, especially with respect to the notion of redundancy of information.
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The present research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant B043556-001, awarded to the author. The author thanks Michael Twitty for comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.
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Galvani, P.F. Effects of feedback on discriminative avoidance acquisition and extinction in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). Bull. Psychon. Soc. 10, 304–306 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329343
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329343