Free-operant discriminated avoidance in the rat

Abstract

A procedure involving the use of free-operant discriminated avoidance in monkeys was replicated with white rats. Each rat was exposed to a series of avoidance schedules, in which the safestimulus duration was held constant and the warning-stimulus duration was systematically varied. Of the 6 rats in the study, 3 were exposed to the warning-stimulus durations in ascending order (shortest duration first), and 3 in descending order (longest duration first). The rats generally showed higher shock rates and lower response rates than the monkeys. © 1989, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.