Abstract
In the current study, the effects of noncontingent termination of aversive stimulation on the development and organization of behavior were examined. Rats were removed from cold water independent of their behavior, and changes in their behavior when replaced in the cold water were observed. Contrary to a classic interpretation of the effects of noncontingent reinforcement as “superstition,” stable and predictable patterns of behavior developed under these conditions. The results were interpreted as supporting the view that reinforcers do not act arbitrarily on behavior, but their effects are instead closely related to the motivational state of an organism and its surrounding stimulus conditions.
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