Abstract
Fourteen rats were conditioned to perform a barpress avoidance response. The six animals that avoided most successfully were then required to make multiple responses to avoid a scheduled shock. Bar holding was found to be a common response among all six animals, and holding persisted even when four barpresses served as a single avoidance response. Mean holding time decreased as the response requirement increased but the proportion of session time during which the bar was held was not affected by the response requirement.
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Meltzer, D., Tiller, J.E. Bar holding during partial reinforcement of avoidance responding. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 22, 583–586 (1984). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333915
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333915