| Abstract: | In one experiment with rats, and a second with pigeons, subjects were trained on a schedule in which identical response dependencies applied to intermittent receipt of positive reinforcement (PR) for one group and avoidance (AV) of shock for a second group. After obtaining comparable stable training performance for groups PR and AV, persistence tests were conducted with a traditional extinction (EXT) procedure vs. response-independent (FREE) delivery of positive reinforcers or shocks. In both experiments, response elimination was rapid in EXT for groups PR and AV, and responding tended to be maintained in groups PR and AV in the FREE persistence test. These results contradict the widely held assumption that avoidance behavior is unusually resistant to extinction, and they call for a re-examination of elimination of avoidance responding. |
