AVOIDANCE OF TIME-OUT FROM, AND WITHDRAWAL OF, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IN HUMANS: REDUCTION IN ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL REINFORCEMENT AS A STIMULUS FOR AGGRESSION,
Abstract
Adult human subjects pressed a lever to avoid time-out from monetary reinforcement that was associated with a second lever, or to avoid the withdrawal of money that had been received prior to each session. Both schedules were discriminated avoidance. Manipulation of fixed-ratio requirements for avoidance produced progressive deceleration in interresponse times (ITRs) for avoidance which was reversed at extremely high fixed-ratios that were too high for successful avoidance. Nonavoidance produced increased rates of responding on a manipulandum that was concurrently provided to deliver electric shock to a rat, but had no explicit reinforcement contingencies. Rates of shock responding were higher at extreme avoidance criteria. Increased rates of delivering shock were also observed as a function of positive-reinforcement extinction. Effects appeared to be cumulative within and across sessions. Results showed a high degree of intersubject and intersession variability in shock responding. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0707779
Entities
People
- Brigitte Symannek
Organizations
- Western Michigan University