William G. Braud

Task and species generality of the “helplessness” phenomenon

Three groups (N = 9) of male albino mice were given six daily 2-h exposures to escapable, inescapable, orno electric shock. Shock was programmed on a 30-sec-on/30-sec-off alternating schedule. The pole-climbing behavior of an escapable shock S could terminate or prevent shock both for itself and for its yoked inescapable shock pair-member. AUSs then were given, after a 24-h rest, five water-escape trials in which swimming time was measured. The escapable shock S s learned the water-escape task faster than the no shock controlSs. The inescapable shock Ss swam increasingly slower over trials.

Inhibition of distress vocalizations in the open field as a function of heightened fear or arousal in domestic fowl (gallus gallus)

Abstract Whereas a number of measures of fear (duration of the immobility reaction, duration of freezing in the open field and locomotor activity in the open field) showed differences in the predicted direction between pre-experimentally handled and non-handled chicks, significantly fewer distress vocalizations were observed for the relatively more fearful (non-handled) chicks. This finding does not support the general assumption that a monotonic relationship exists between heightened levels of fear and an increased frequency of the distress call. Results are considered in the context of Bronsons (1968) hypothesis that heightened emotionality may inhibit rather than facilitate the expression of a variety of behavioural patterns associated with the avoidance of fear-arousing stimulation.

Effectiveness of "natural", habituated, shock-related, and food-related stimuli as CSs for avoidance learning in goldfish.

Four groups of 11 goldfish were given different kinds of experiences with a light stimulus later to be used as a CS for two-way, active avoidance conditioning. For one group, the light was repeatedly paired with food; for another, the light was paired with inescapable shock; a third group received light-only presentations (habituation); a control group never experienced the light before testing. In avoidance conditioning testing, the shock-related and food-related groups performed significantly better than the control group, which in turn outperformed the habituated group. It is concluded that the acquisition of an orienting reaction to a CS outweighs the positive-vs-negative source of that OR.

Immobility reactions in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) less than 7 days old: Resolution of a paradox

Abstract Twelve domestic chickens showed virtually no immobility reactions until the age of 9 days when tested repeatedly on a flat surface. However, twelve chicks did show pronounced immobility reactions as early as 1 day of age when tested repeatedly on a cloth surface which slightly contoured the chicks body. It was suggested that previous failures to observe immobility reactions in chicks less than 7 days old were due to inappropriate testing conditions and not to the absence of fear (a presumed substrate of the reaction), insufficient hormonal functioning, or non-functioning ‘releasing nervous mechanisms’. Young chicks do indeed become immobile if effector disruption is prevented and/or if increased physical contact during induction augments fear or produces a ‘prolonged zero’ in the animals defensive distance.

An analysis of the role of fear in the kamin effect

Abstract In Experiment I 36 rats were given 20 food-rewarded trials in a straight alley runway and then two trials in which the S s were given shock in the goalbox. The amount of approach was then measured on the 21st trial which was conducted 5 min, 3 hr, or 48 hr after the fear-conditioning trials. It was found that the amount of approach was greatest at the 3-hr interval. Experiment II was identical except that no fear-conditioning trials were given. It was found that the amount of approach was the same at all three intervals.

A laboratory investigation of aggressive behavior in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Although the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) is noted for its docility and its nonaggressiveness toward littermates and human Es (Thiessen, 1968), it has been purported that the animal will attack viciously conspecifics of Utters other than its own. The present paper reports the results of a preliminary laboratory investigation of such intraspecific aggression. The authors have reported in another paper1 that gerbils both recognize and prefer their own litter environments to others. Would a “familiar” vs an “unfamiliar” discriminative response also occur in the case of aggression; i.e., would gerbils attack nonlittermates more frequently than littermates? Some instances of interspecific aggression (toward albino rats and mice) are also reported.

Psychomanteum Research: Experiences and Effects on Bereavement

A Psychomanteum Process involving mirror-gazing was conducted in a research setting to explore apparent facilitated contact with deceased friends and relatives, and to collect data on the phenomena, experiences, and effects on bereavement. A pilot study with five participants resulted in strong experiences and four apparent contacts. The main study took 27 participants through a three-stage process: remembering a deceased friend or relative, sitting in a darkened room gazing into a mirror while thinking of the person, and finally discussing and reflecting on the experience. Data were collected with pre- and post-questionnaires, a follow-up questionnaire at least four weeks after the session, interviews by the facilitators, and two personality measures, the Tellegen Absorption Scale and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Contacts with the sought person were reported by 13 participants. Participants reported that a variety of imagery appeared in the mirror, as well as experiences of dialogue, sounds, light, body sensations, and smell. Several specific messages were reported by participants who believed that they were from the sought persons. Twenty-one self-report items relating to bereavement were analyzed for changes between pre- and follow-up questionnaires. Using a Wilcoxon signed ranks analysis, statistically significant reductions in bereavement responses were found over the entire group (p=.05 to .0008). These included unresolved feelings, loss, grief, guilt, sadness, and need to communicate. Participants also reported significant impact on their lives following the session.

Geophysical variables and behavior: LVIII. Autonomic activity, hemolysis, and biological psychokinesis: possible relationships with geomagnetic field activity.

Several recent reports have indicated significant relations between extrasensory perception (ESP) experiences and performances and the Earths geomagnetic field (GMF) activity. ESP experiences are reported more frequently, and accuracy of laboratory ESP is more accurate, on days of relatively quiet GMF activity. On the other hand, there are indications that a complementary paranormal process, psychokinesis, may be enhanced by high GMF activity. We conducted retrospective analyses of possible relations between GMF activity and (a) electrodermal activity (as an index of sympathetic autonomic activity), (b) rate of hemolysis of human red blood cells in vitro, (c) attempted distant mental (i.e., psychokinetic) influence of electrodermal activity, and (d) attempted distant mental (psychokinetic) influence of rate of hemolysis. For each of these four measures, high activity was associated with high GMF values, while low activity was associated with low GMF values. The relations were statistically significant for three of the four analyses and showed a consistent trend in the fourth.

Effects of puromycin on memory for shuttle box extinction in goldfish and barpress extinction in rats.

Abstract Five experiments were conducted to investigated the generality of puromycins reported effect on disruption on memory of a recently learned task. The first experiment replicated previous work on acquisition to determine the effectiveness of the procedures used. The second investigated the role of puromycins low pH in memory disruption. The third experiment used short training and extinction sessions to determine if puromycin retarded retention of extinction. The fourth experiment used longer training and extinction sessions and multiple and delayed injections of puromycin, and the fifth experiment attempted to extend puromycins effect on avoidance extinction to extinction produced in an appetitive operant task. Puromycin disrupted retention of extinction of both shuttle box avoidance in fish and barpressing in rats. The role of puromycins pH was negligible.

Biochemical Transfer of Relational Responding (Transposition)

Hooded rats were trained to choose the larger of two circles in order to obtain a liquid reward. Recipients of brain extract from these trained donors showed a significant preference for an even larger circle when given a nonreinforced test for several days after the injection of extract. The substrate for relational learning may be biochemically transferred.