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SIGNALLED FREE‐OPERANT AVOIDANCE OF SHOCK BY PIGEONS PECKING A KEY 1
Author(s) -
Moraes A. Bento Alves,
Todorov João Claudio
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1977.27-281
Subject(s) - stimulus (psychology) , pecking order , psychology , avoidance response , peck (imperial) , audiology , stimulus control , neutral stimulus , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , medicine , mathematics , biology , geometry , evolutionary biology , nicotine
Two pigeons were trained to peck a key under a free‐operant avoidance schedule. Then, changes in key color signalled the beginning (safe period) and the end (warning period) of the response‐shock interval, with a response required to change the key color. Finally, a change in key color signalled the warning period and either a response or a shock reinstated the safe stimulus. During signalled avoidance, response rate was higher during the warning stimulus than during the safe stimulus. More responding tended to occur in the warning stimulus when it was terminated by either a response or a shock than by only a response. In either procedure, response latency during the warning stimulus was a function of the duration of the warning stimulus. In general, response and shock rate were higher during unsignalled than during signalled avoidance. When the warning stimulus was brief, the results were similar to those of unsignalled avoidance. These results confirm previous findings with pigeons, are in general agreement with data provided by other species in studies of signalled avoidance, and thereby indicate the transituationality of the key‐pecking operant.