Abstract
Review of the experimental and theoretical analysis of avoidance behaviors can provide fascinating insights into the development of the psychology of learning in America. This is because problems in the analysis of avoidance behaviors often stimulated the development of new experimental designs and new theoretical concepts which in turn had substantial impact upon how we interpreted all other learning phenomena. Most simply, the phenomenon of avoidance learning was always--and continues to be--a source of difficulties. The difficulties are of three types: (a) paradigmatic, (b) methodological, and (c) theoretical. We shall consider each in turn.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anderson, N. H. Comparison of different populations: Resistance to extinction and transfer. Psychological Review, 1963, 70, 162–179.
Bitterman, M. E. The CS-US interval in classical and avoidance conditioning. In W. F. Prokasy (Ed.), Classical Conditioning. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1965.
Bitterman, M. E., Reed, P. C., & Krauskopf, J. The effect of the duration of the unconditioned stimulus upon conditioning and extinction. American Journal of Psychology, 1952, 65, 256–262.
Blanchard, R. J., & Blanchard, D. C. Crouching as an index of fear. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1969, 67, 370–375.
Bolles, R. C. Avoidance and escape learning: Simultaneous acquisition of different responses. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1969, 68, 355–358.
Bolles, R. C. Species specific defense reactions and avoidance learning. Psychological Review, 1970, 71, 32–48.
Bolles, R. C., & Riley, A. L. Freezing as an avoidance response: Another look at the operant-respondent distinction. Learning and Motivation, 1973, 4, 268–275.
Bolles, R. C., Stokes, L. W., & Younger, M. S. Does CS termination reinforce avoidance behavior. Journal of Comparative Physiological Psychology, 1966, 62, 201–207.
Bower, G., Starr, R., & Lazarovitz, L. Amount of response-produced change in the CS and avoidance learning. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1965, 59, 13–17.
Brown, J. S., & Jacobs, A. The role of fear in the motivation and acquisition of responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1949, 39, 747–759.
Brown, J. S., Kalish, H. I., & Farber, I. E. Conditioned fear as revealed by the magnitude of startle response to an auditory stimulus. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1951, 41, 317–328.
Bull, J. A. III, & Overmier, J. B. The additive and subtractive properties of excitation and inhibition. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1968, 66, 511–514.
Church, R. M., & Getty, D. J. Some consequences of the reaction to an aversive event. Psychological Bulletin, 1972, 78, 21–27.
Cicala, G. A., & Owen, J. W. Warning signal termination and a feedback signal may not serve the same function. Learning and Motivation, 1976, 7, 356–367.
D’Amato, M. R., & Schiff, D. Long-term discriminated avoidance performance in the rat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1964, 57, 123–126.
DiCara, L. V., & Miller, N. E. Changes in heart rate instrumentally learned by curarized rats as avoidance response. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1968, 65, 8–12.
Dinsmoor, J. A. Punishment: I. The avoidance hypothesis. Psychological Review, 1954, 61, 34–46.
Fonberg, E. Transfer of the conditioned avoidance reaction to the unconditioned noxious stimuli. Acta Biologiae Experimentalis (Warsaw), 1962, 22, 251–258.
Gardner, E. T., & Lewis, P. Negative reinforcement with shock frequency increase. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1976, 25, 1–14.
Herrnstein, R. J. Method and thoery in the study of avoidance. Psychological Review, 1969, 76, 49–69.
Herrnstein, R. J., & Hineline, P. N. Negative reinforcement as shock frequency reduction. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1966, 9, 421–430.
Hineline, P. N. Negative reinforcement without shock reduction. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1970, 14, 259–268.
Hull, C. L. A functional interpretation of the conditioned reflex. Psychological Review, 1929, 36, 498–511.
Hull, C. L. Principles of Behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Croft, 1943.
Hulse, S. H., Deese, J., & Egeth, H. The Psychology of Learning. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.
Hurwitz, H. M. B. Method for discriminative avoidance training. Science, 1964, 145, 1070–1071.
Hurwitz, H. M. B., Harzem, P., & Kulig, B. Comparisons of two measures of free-operant avoidance under two conditions of response feedback. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1972, 24, 92–97.
Kamin, L. J. The effects of termination of the CS and avoidance of the US on avoidance learning. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1956, 49, 420–424.
Leaf, R. C. Acquisition of Sidman avoidance responding as a function of S-S interval. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1965, 59, 298–300.
Mackintosh, N. J. The Psychology of Animal Learning. London: Academic Press, 1974.
Maier, S. F., Albin, R. W., & Testa, T. J. Failure to learn to escape in rats previously exposed to inescapable shock depends on the nature of escape response. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1973, 85, 581–592.
May, M. A. Experimentally acquired drives. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1948, 38, 66–77.
Miller, N. E. Studies of fear as an acquirable drive: I. Fear as motivation and fear reduction as reinforcement in the learning of new responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1948, 38, 89–101.
Miller, N. E. Comments on multiple-process conceptions of learning. Psychological Review, 1951, 58, 375–381.
Moore, J. W., & Gormezzano, I. Yoked comparisons of instrumental and classical eyelid conditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1961, 62, 552–559.
Morris, R. G. M. Pavlovian conditioned inhibition of fear during shuttlebox avoidance behavior. Learning and Motivation, 1974, 5, 424–447.
Morris, R. G. M. Preconditioning of reinforcing properties to an exteroceptive feedback stimulus. Learning and Motivation, 1975, 6, 289–298.
Moscovitch, A., & LoLordo, V. M. Role of safety in the Pavlovian backward fear conditioning procedure. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1968, 66, 673–678.
Mowrer, O. H. On the dual nature of learning: A reinterpretation of “conditioning” and “problem solving.” Harvard Educational Review, 1947, 17, 102–148.
Mowrer, O. H., & Lamoreaux, R. R. Fear as an intervening variable in avoidance conditioning. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1946, 39, 29–50.
Olton, D. S. Shock-motivated avoidance and the analysis of behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 1973, 79, 243–251.
Overmier, J. B. Differential transfer of control of avoidance responses as a function of UCS duration. Psychonomic Science, 1966, 5, 25–26. (a)
Overmier, J. B. Instrumental and cardiac indices of Pavlovian fear conditioning as a function of UCS duration. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1966, 62, 15–20. (b)
Riess, D. Shuttleboxes, Skinner boxes, and Sidman avoidance in rats: Acquisition and terminal performance as a function of response topography. Psychonomic Science, 1971, 25, 283–286.
Schlosberg, H. Conditioned responses in the white rats. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1934, 45, 303–335.
Schlosberg, H. Conditioned responses in the white rat: II. Conditioned responses based upon shock to the foreleg. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1936, 49, 107–138.
Schoenfeld, W. N. An experimental approach to anxiety, escape, and avoidance behavior. In P. H. Hock & J. Zubin (Eds.), Anxiety. New York: Grune & Stratton, 1950.
Sheffield, F. D. Avoidance training and the contiguity principle. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1948, 41, 165–177.
Sidman, M. Avoidance conditioning with a brief shock and no extero-ceptive warning signal. Science, 1953, 118, 157–158.
Sidman, M. Avoidance behavior. In W. K. Honig (Ed.), Operant Behavior: Areas of Research Application. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1966.
Skinner, B. F. The Behavior of Organisms. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1938.
Solomon, R. L., Kamin, L. G., & Wynne, L. C. Traumatic avoidance learning: The outcomes of several extinction procedures with dogs. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 291–302.
Solomon, R. L., & Wynne, L. C. Traumatic avoidance learning: Acquisition in normal dogs. Psychological Monographs, 1953, 67, No. 4 (Whole No. 354).
Theois, J., Lynch, A. D., & Lowe, W. F. Differential effects of shock intensity on one-way and shuttle avoidance conditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1966, 72, 294–299.
Trapold, M. A., & Overmier, J. B. The second learning process in instrumental learning. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical Conditioning II: Current Research and Theory. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1972.
Turner, L. H., & Solomon, R. L. Human traumatic avoidance learning: Theory and experiments on the operant-respondent distinction and failures to learn. Psychological Monographs, 1962, 76 (Whole No. 559).
Uhl, C. N., & Eichbauer, E. A. Relative persistence of avoidance and positively reinforced behavior. Learning and Motivation, 1975, 6, 468–483.
Wahlston, D. L., & Cole, M. Classical and avoidance training of leg flexion in the dog. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical Conditioning II: Current Theory and Research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1972.
Warner, L. H. The association span of the white rat. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1932, 41, 57–90. (a)
Warner, L. H. An experimental search for the conditioned response. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1932, 41, 91–115. (b)
Weisman, R. G., & Litner, J. S. Positive conditioned reinforcement of Sidman avoidance behavior in rats. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1969, 68, 597–603.
Woodard, W. T., & Bitterman, M. E. Pavlovian analysis of avoidance conditioning in the goldfish (Carassius auratus). Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1973, 82, 123–129.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1979 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Overmier, J.B. (1979). Avoidance Learning. In: Animal Learning. NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 19. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3387-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3387-6_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-3389-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-3387-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive