Abstract
This article reports the reinforcer generality of the interference effect resulting from exposure to inescapable shock. In Experiment 1, rats that received inescapable shock showed weak interference with the acquisition of an appetitive operant compared to animals exposed either to escapable or no shock. In Experiment 2, the response-reinforcer contingency was degraded by introducing a 1-sec delay of reinforcement on the appetitive task. Inescapable shock produced much stronger interference with the acquisition of the operant response than in Experiment 1. The results demonstrate reinforcer generality of the debilitating effects produced by inescapable shock.
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This research was supported by Postdoctoral Fellowship MH-00980 from the National Institute of Mental Health to the author and Grant MH-19604 from the National Institute of Mental Health to Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman.
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Rosellini, R.A. Inescapable shock interferes with the acquisition of an appetitive operant. Animal Learning & Behavior 6, 155–159 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209594
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209594