Discontinuous shock and generalization to the preshock period in discriminated avoidance learning

Abstract

Discontinuous shock has been shown to have a facilitating effect upon discriminated bar-press avoidance learning. The effect has been attributed to enhanced generalization of escape responses to the preshock period. Since the factor crucial to enhanced generalization is presumed to be the occurrence of escape responses in the absence of shock, it was hypothesized that presentation of shock in what otherwise would have been off-shock periods, should inhibit avoidance learning. The avoidance performance of animals trained under standard discontinuous shock was compared with that of animals receiving an additional burst of shock contingent upon each escape response. Nonsignificant differences appeared between treatment groups and were in the opposite direction to that expected. It was concluded that rather than producing an increase in generalization, discontinuous shock improves the quality of the response generalized.