The Annual of Animal Psychology
Online ISSN : 1883-6283
Print ISSN : 0003-5130
ISSN-L : 0003-5130
Volume 19, Issue 1
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
  • MIKIO AKIYAMA
    1969 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 1-16
    Published: December 25, 1969
    Released on J-STAGE: October 14, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The purpose of the present experiment was to examine the effects of extinction techniques-detention vs. fixed CS-on avoidance response. Also attempts are made to discuss the theory of extinction of avoidance response.
    The experiment consisted of the following periods : 8 days of conditioning (I), 4 days of manipulation of extinction techniques, 10 days of extinction (I), 2 days of re-conditioning (II), and 10 days of re-extinction (II). Twenty trials were given per day. During conditioning Ss were trained, in a modified Mowrer-Miller's shuttle box, to avoid electric shock (US) by crossing from a compartment to the adjoining one when the buzzer (CS) was presented. After conditioning, they were divided into the following three groups : Detention Group was given twenty CS presentation of 5 seconds each per day without producing electric shock, with a barrier positioned to prevent rats from locomoting to the adjoining compartment ; For Fixed CS Group CS sounded for 5 seconds, even if rats had crossed within 5 seconds ; Ordinary Extinction Group was immediately exposed to the procedure of ordinary experimental extinction.
    The results of the experiment were as follows (Fig. 1). Detention technique gave the irregular variation of the occurrence of CR in Extinction (I) and, for the most Ss in this group, brought about very strong resistance to extinction in Re-extinction (II). Fixed CS technique facilitated extinction of instrumental avoidance response for all Ss during Extinction (I), while re-conditioning led to large individual differences. From this group a peculiar subject appeared. Though this subject repressed the occurrence of CR for 1st and 2nd days during Re-extinction (II), it thereafter showed a rapid recovery of CR and reached the asymptote of responding 100% of the trial. Under the ordinary extinction, two Ss showed strong resistance to extinction during Extinction (I), and the Ss sowing strong resistance increased during Re-extinction (II). On trials without CR occurrence, other different responses were observed to CS presentations. It was also found that there appear consistently such responses as closely related to CR, or other behavior like grooming or face washing, and the stillness or freezing (Table 1-3, 5-9).
    In the discussion it was proposed that the extinction of avoidance response would be performed on the basis of a relative relation of several kinds of power and that it consisted in keeping composure which would be able to accept a new learning. Consequently, it would be that, even if an extinction technique facilitates extinction of instrumental avoidance response, an elicited anxiety or state anxiety in a situation can never eliminate perfectly and it is held in the trait anxiety of animals. From these inferences, it was attempted to modify Solomon's theory and to interpret this in a wide sense. Therefore, extinction itself is considered to build up a relevant learning set, which reduces anxiety.
    In this experiment fixed CS was a better extinction technique than detention.
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  • MASANOBU SASAKI
    1969 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 17-28
    Published: December 25, 1969
    Released on J-STAGE: October 14, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of reward and non-reward in reversal learning. In Experiment I, 36 white rats were trained on a black-white discrimination problem in a Y-maze. The training consisted of three stages; original learning, prereversal experience and reversal learning. The original learning continued until each S reached the criterion of 18 correct out of 20 responses on successive two days, with all responses correct on the final day. Ss were then divided into three groups, and were given prereversal experience which differed by groups. Ss of group N-P received 20 rewarded prereversal trials to the stimulus card that had initially been negative but which was to be positive during the subsequent reversal trials : and, conversely, Ss of group P-N received 20 non-rewarded trials to the stimulus card that had initially been positive but which was to be negative during the reversal. Ss of the control group received no prereversal experience. All Ss were then trained on the reversal problem. The results of the reversal learning were summarized in Table 1. Group P-N was superior to the control group, whereas group N-P did not differ from the control group.
    In Experiment II, 33 white rats were trained on a position discrimination problem in a T-maze. The training consisted of three stages ; original learning, prereversal experience and reversal learning. The original learning continued for 3 days, with 10 trials on each day. Ss were then divided into three groups, and were given prereversal experience for 2 days (20 trials), and were finally trained on the reversal problem for 5 days. The results of the reversal learning are shown in Table 3, which represents superior performance of group P-N and inferior performance of group N-P to the control group. The results of the above two experiments support the uniprocess theory which emphasizes the role of inhibition in discrimination learning.
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  • Masazumi NAKAMURA
    1969 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 29-37
    Published: December 25, 1969
    Released on J-STAGE: October 14, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In the present experiment an attempt was made to study wavelength generalization, employing the key-pecking response in the pigeon. Sixty experimentally naive pigeons (fifteen groups) were trained on a single monochromatic light stimulus (480 nm). One hundred continuous reinforcements for two days and seventy five one minute variable interval reinforcements for the following five days were given to each S. On the eighth and ninth day, the generalization test was carried out under extinction. Each S was successively presented one pair of stimulus ranging from 480 nm to 630 nm by the step of 30 nm. The following results were obtained :
    1) Generalization gradients were also obtained through this successive-paired-comparison like method.
    2) Number of responses for a pair of stimuli at the extinction of each group was increasing at the CS and stimuli near CS
    3) No difference was found between groups in the number of total responses in the test period.
    4) Generalization gradients were not a mere function of physical distance.
    5) Comparison of the slope of generalization gradients obtained from the groups whose two test stimuli were separated by the range of 510mm-540mm with that obtained from the groups whose two test stimuli were not revealed that the former is steeper than the latter. This might be taken to suggest the existence of the categorization in the pigeon.
    This study shows that the method of paired comparison was a very efficient one in the study of wavelength generalization in pigeons.
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  • OSAMU FUJITA, SHUZO OI
    1969 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 39-47
    Published: December 25, 1969
    Released on J-STAGE: October 14, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In Exp. I, the goldfish were trained to avoid from an electric shock by swimming over a partition which divided the test tank into two compartments. The conditioned stimulus was a light which was turned on 15 sec. before the onset of shock. Ten trials per day were given for 25 days with the inter-trial intervals of 60 seconds. After reaching the learning criterion (70% correct responses for consecutive three days) Ss were received forebrain ablation or sham operation before a relearning period (150 trials).
    Forebrain removal completely abolished a previously learned avoidance response and prevented relearning. The inter-trial responses were increased with the acquisition of CR and they concentrated into the period just before the next trial. These responses were also completely abolished by forebrain ablation.
    Amount of activities measured before and after operation did not significantly differ between two groups, indicating that the deficit is specific to avoidance learning.
    In Exp. II, the same procedure as Exp. I was used except for the inter-trial intervals. The inter-trial intervals randomly varied from 15 to 105 sec. (mean was 60 sec.) during a day.
    For only 30% of Ss could learn a avoidance response during 300 trials, significant difference was found between the number of subjects which reached the learning criterion in Exp. I and Exp. II. Learning deficit resulted from the random intervals might indicate that Ss in Exp. I partly used the time interval as a cue. Forebrain removal also severely impaired a previously learned avoidance response and the inter-trial responses.
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  • 1969 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 48-50
    Published: December 25, 1969
    Released on J-STAGE: October 14, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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  • 1969 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 51-61
    Published: December 25, 1969
    Released on J-STAGE: October 14, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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