Donald E. Jackson

The effect of test taking on acceptance of bogus perosnality statements

Ss received either positively or negatively toned feedback after taking a projective test. Other Ss merely received the feedback statements without taking the test. All Ss rated the feedback statements individually and as a unit as to how well they described their personality and the personality of people in general. Feedback as a unit was more acceptable when (a) the test was taken, and (b) when positively toned feedback was received. Collapsing across feedback conditions, personal acceptability was higher for those who took the test than for those who did not take the test. The method allowed for analysis of individual items and thereby provided an additional measure of acceptability than simply using the overall acceptability score.

Counterconditioning and exposure-only in the treatment of specific (conditioned suppression) and generalized fear in rats ☆

Abstract In Experiment 1 the conditioned suppression technique was used to condition specific fear, suppression of operent lever pressing for food to a discrete CS. The efficacy of four treatment conditions on fear reduction was evaluated. Counterconditioning in which exposure to the CS was contiguously paired with food was significantly less effective than noncontiguous CS exposure and food. An exposure-only effect was indicated by the superiority of all three treatments involving CS exposure (the above two plus a typical conditioned suppression extinction procedure) to treatment consisting of food only. The reverse counterconditioning effect and the exposure effect are consistent with current views that emphasize the centrality of aversive stimulus exposure in fear reduction. Experiment 2 investigated elimination of generalized fear produced by unsignalled, inescapable shocks in the lever-pressing apparatus. Two treatments (counterconditioning and exposure-only) were equally effective and they were superior to no exposure control treatment. The results of the two experiments reinforce recent attempts toward a reevaluation of the role of anxiety-competing responses in elimination of fear.

Rate-dependent effect of amphetamine in rats: Extension to between-subjects effect

Following either variable-interval or fixed-interval training, 20 rats received both 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg of amphetamine. For both schedules, amphetamine decreased response rates of high-rate subjects and increased those of low-rate subjects. Within-subject analysis of fixed-interval rates revealed the same rate-dependent effect. It is suggested that the between-subject and within-subject effects may have the same basis.

CS-free food contingencies and subsequent acquisition of conditioned suppression: No transfer effect

Following VI training for food, 32 rats received 12 CSs (levers retracted) over 2 days during which three of four groups received free food. CS-free food contingencies were positive, negative, or absent; the fourth group received CSs alone. Subsequent CER acquisition (3 days) on the baseline revealed only a significant trials effect. These findings question the generality of the transfer-of-control phenomenon.

Acquisition and extinction of conditioned suppression under two training procedures

Abstract Eight male albino rats acquired conditioned suppression under either predictable ( Estes & Skinner, 1941 ) or random ( Rescorla, 1968 ) procedures. The random procedure led to more generalized suppression (non-CS suppression) and greater resistance to extinction. In addition, the pattern of responding during the CS differed: the predictable group produced negatively accelerated cumulative records during early extinction trials; the random group produced positively accelerated cumulative records.

The commodore 64 and an interface system for controlling operant chambers

This article describes the interfacing of a Commodore 64 computer with an operant chamber. Advantages of the Commodore 64 over the VIC-20 as a controller are listed, and a sample program using dual response levers is given.

The VIC-20 computer and an interface system for controlling operant chambers

In this article, we describe the interfacing of the VIC-20 microcomputer with an operant chamber. An example of an experiment with its corresponding BASIC program is presented.

Response availability and extinction of conditioned suppression

After 7 days’ VI training for water reinforcement, 14 rats were given six (three per day) noise-shock pairings with lever retracted. Following a recovery day, Ss received two daily noise/no-shock presentations for 6 days with lever initially present only for control Ss. After 3 days, lever was returned for experimental Ss who displayed reliably more suppression on Extinction Days 4–6.

Factors Affecting Lever Pressing on a Variable-Interval Schedule in Nondeprived Rats

Naive rats with no history of food deprivation self-trained to lever press for food pellets and subsequently were shifted to a variable-interval schedule. Following 5 days of variable-interval training, the rats were prefed with the response-produced food (Noyes pellets) for the 2 hr. prior to variable-interval sessions. Response rates dropped substantially but returned to previous levels when prefeeding ended. Introduction of free food (pellets) into the response chamber also reduced response rates, but not as much as did prefeeding.

Response availability and second-order conditioned suppression

Following 8 CER training days, 18 rats were given second-order conditioning trials under one of two conditions. Control Ss had the response lever present during all 10 SOC days. Experimental Ss had the lever absent during the first 3 SOC days (CS1 was noise, CS2 was a flashing light). A second experiment with 16 rats reversed the first- and second-order stimuli and gave 5 days of SOC with the lever absent for half the Ss. In both studies, when the lever was returned for all Ss, subsequent SOC days showed no significant differences between groups with respect to either acquisition of SOC or extinction of FOC. These results offer no support to Kamil’s (1969) hypothesis that his failure to find a correspondence between first- and second-order conditioned suppression might be due to counterconditioning of CS2 to the food reinforcement obtained during SOC.