Stimulus control in the goldfish after massed extinction

Compared with the data of goldfish trained only with stimuli correlated with reinforcement, interspersed reinforcement-stimulus and extinction-stimulus trials resulted in sharper stimulus control and a marked reduction in the percentage of key-presses emitted in the presence of stimuli located near the extinction stimulus on the test dimension. If non-reinforced trials were not interspersed with reinforced trials, there was no sharpening of stimulus control and less reduction in key presses in the presence of stimuli near the extinction stimulus on the test dimension.     

Periodic shock with added clock

Rats were shocked every 6 min while responding was maintained on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement. With some rats, shocks were interspersed with a sequence of three different stimulus conditions (S3→S2→S1), or clock cues, each lasting 2 min. For other rats, a single stimulus condition prevailed between shocks at the beginning of the experiment and clock cues were introduced later. Response rate decreased from S3 to S1. Response rate in S3, S2, and S1 was inversely related to shock intensity. When clock cues were added, response rate increased in all 2-min intershock periods. During clock cues, an index of curvature, indicating the degree of negative acceleration of response rate, was greatest for S1 and least for S3, and was directly related to shock intensity. The response-facilitating effect of shock and its relation to a possible discriminative function of shock and to behavioral contrast is discussed.     

Social information processing and job characteristics.

This study simultaneously tested 2 theories that attempt to explain differences in job satisfaction: job characteristics theory (Hackman & Oldham, 1976) and social information processing theory (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). The theories were tested using data collected from the civilian employees of the public works division at a U.S. military base. The results indicated that individuals' social environments had significant effects upon their attitudes. Multiple social networks were used to operationalize individuals' social environments. The results also suggested that job characteristics had an independent main effect upon job satisfaction, in addition to the effects of the social environment. Based on prior research, employees' past experience and self‐monitoring were tested as moderators of the effects of the social environment, and growth need strength was tested as a moderator of the effects of job characteristics upon job satisfaction. Only self‐monitoring was found to have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between information from the social environment and job satisfaction, and growth need strength had no significant moderating effect.     

Generalization of conditioned suppression after differential training

In a modified conditioned suppression procedure, clicks at one frequency (danger signal) preceded shocks, while no shocks followed clicks at a different frequency (safe signal). During generalization tests, the maximal response rate was frequently shifted from the safe signal in the direction away from the danger signal, and the minimal response rate was frequently shifted in the opposite direction, away from the safe signal. There was considerable variability in the results from one animal to another. The generalization tests also suggested different generalization functions according to whether the danger signal was a lower or a higher frequency than the safe signal. The results also showed the development of systematic differences in response rate during and after the safe and danger signals, notably a relatively high rate at the beginning of the safe signal and after the danger signal.