Abstract
The idea that tonic immobility (TI) may be a reaction to predation has received increasing support in recent years. It follows, from this view, that distance between predator and prey and opportunity for escape should have predictable effects on immobility. The first experiment showed that the presence of large bushes, as an explicit escape manipulation, reduced immobility durations in anoles (Anolis carolinensis) in comparison to what occurred when they were immobilized in an open area, with the effect being most evident the closer the predator was to the prey. In the second experiment it was shown that close proximity between anoles and the experimenter produced longer durations of immobility in an open area, while a third experiment showed that with bushes nearby this relationship was reversed; that is, shorter durations of TI with anoles in close proximity to the experimenter.
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Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in New Orleans, March 18–21, 1976.
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Hennig, C.W., Dunlap, W.P. & Gallup, G.G. The Effect of Distance Between Predator and Prey and the Opportunity to Escape on Tonic Immobility in Anolis Carolinensis. Psychol Rec 26, 312–320 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394393
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394393