1988 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 89-94
The present goldfish shuttlebox experiments were conducted to test the background (contextual) conditioning hypothesis, which assumes that conditioned background (contextual) stimuli generate a shuttling response and facilitate Sidman avoidance learning. In Experiment I, goldfish were preexposed to the US and/or training background stimuli. In both response and US measures, US preexposure, irrespective of the background stimuli, facilitated avoidance learning in the early stage. In Experiment II, goldfish were preexposed to the US and/or the training context (apparatus). In the response measure, preexposure to either the US or the training context deteriorated avoidance learning in the later stage. In the US measure, however, later stage avoidance learning was deteriorated by preexposure to the training context alone (i.e., regardless of US preexposure). In addition, the US measure indicated that preexposure to both US and training context facilitated early stage and deteriorated later stage avoidance learning. These results can be interpreted in terms of both associative and motivational effects of US preexposure; background (contextual) conditioning and learned helplessness.
