Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Timing of avoidance responses by rats.

M E Libby, R M Church

    Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    |November 1, 1974
    PubMed
    Summary

    Rats trained on an avoidance task showed temporal gradients, indicating they estimate time from their last response. This timing mechanism appears consistent across different shock intervals in avoidance learning.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Are separate theories of conditioning and timing necessary?

    Behavioural processes·2014
    Same author

    Modality and intermittency effects on time estimation.

    Behavioural processes·2009
    Same author

    Effects of reinforcer choice measured in single-operant and concurrent-schedule procedures.

    Journal of applied behavior analysis·2000
    Same author

    Stimulus and temporal cues in classical conditioning.

    Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes·2000
    Same author

    The effects of establishing operations on preference assessment outcomes.

    Journal of applied behavior analysis·2000
    Same author

    A comparison of presession and within-session reinforcement choice.

    Journal of applied behavior analysis·1999

    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral neuroscience
    • Animal behavior
    • Learning and memory

    Background:

    • Temporal gradients are crucial for understanding learning and memory processes.
    • Avoidance learning paradigms are used to study how animals learn to prevent aversive events.
    • The role of temporal estimation in unsignalled avoidance behavior requires further elucidation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate temporal gradients in an unsignalled shuttlebox-avoidance task in rats.
    • To determine if rats estimate time based on response completion in this task.
    • To examine the relationship between response-shock intervals and temporal gradient formation.

    Main Methods:

    • Three rats were trained on an unsignalled shuttlebox-avoidance task.
    • Response-shock intervals were manipulated (10, 20, and 40 seconds).
    • Temporal gradients of avoidance response rates were analyzed.

    Main Results:

    • Rats consistently developed temporal gradients of avoidance across all tested intervals.
    • Response rate increased as a function of time since the last response.
    • Despite inverse relationships with shock intervals, temporal gradients showed underlying similarity.

    Conclusions:

    • Rats appear to estimate time from the completion of their last response in unsignalled avoidance.
    • The units of temporal estimation are proportional to the response-shock interval.
    • Findings suggest a robust internal timing mechanism in avoidance learning.

    Related Experiment Videos