Helplessness in hippocampectomized rats: Response perseveration?

Abstract

In a test for learned helplessness, hippocampectomized rats, cortical controls, and unoperated controls were given shock-escape training after being subjected to a series of noncontingent shocks. During these preshock treatments, the same amount of gross body activity was elicited in all three groups. Compared to rats that did not receive the preshock treatments, all the preshocked animals performed poorly in shock escape; that is, hippocampals, cortical controls, and normals all exhibited learned helplessness. The fact that hippocampectomy resulted in the most marked learned helplessness is contrary to the response-perseveration interpretation of hippocampal function. © 1975, Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.