Abstract
In a study of free-operant avoidance in rats with a shuttle response, Riess and Farrar (1972) obtained rapid acquisition and proficient performance showing no warm-up effects. This latter result is of interest because warm-up effects are ubiquitous in rats’ performances on other free-operant avoidance procedures. As part of an attempt to isolate variables that control the warm-up, two replications of Riess and Farrar’s procedure were undertaken. While rapid acquisition of avoidance was obtained, warm-up effects were evident in nearly all rats. Hence, warm-up in avoidance is not specific to the leverpress and wheel-turn responses, which are more commonly used for study of free-operant avoidance.
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Riess, D., & Plaut, S. M. Sidman avoidance acquisition as a function of sex and enriched environment. Unpublished manuscript,1970. (Available from the Psychology Department, Galesburg State Research Hospital, Galesburg, Illinois 61401.)
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This research was accomplished with the support of Public Health Service research Grant MH-18432 from the National Institute of Mental Health. Preparation of the manuscript was supported by facilities of the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology at the University of Sussex.
Lauren B. Alloy is currently a predoctoral student in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Hineline, P.N., Alloy, L.B. Warm-up effects in free-operant avoidance in a shuttlebox. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 12, 447–450 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329733
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329733