Maintenance and Suppression of Responding Under Concurrent Schedules of Electric-shock Presentation.

Abstract:

Lever pressing behavior of squirrel monkeys (s. sciureus) was shaped through shock avoidance to facilitate maintenance of pressing when presentation of electric shock was the only consequence of responding. When presses on each of two levers was reinforced with shocks according to concurrent variable interval schedules, steady moderate rates of responding ensued. When shocks were eliminated as a consequence for responding on one lever, behavior decreased to near zero on that lever but continued on the other lever where shocks still were produced.

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