Instrumental avoidance acquisition by goldfish in a Y-maze using explicit and response-contingent cues

Abstract

In two experiments, goldfish learned a discriminated avoidance response in a Y-maze. When alternative response alleys were simultaneously and differentially cued at trial onset, the goldfish learned to swim to the alley associated with US omission. When alternative response alleys were not differentially cued at trial onset and the US association cue was contingent upon an initial response to one of the alternatives, goldfish learned, following the initial response, to stay in the initially chosen alley when the response-contingent cue indicated US omission, but to leave the initially chosen alley and swim to the alternative alley when the response-contingent cue indicated US pairing.