Presents three experiments that explore whether inescapable shock of long duration and moderate intensity (LoShk) produces an avoidance-escape deficit (called an interference effect) by causing animals to learn to respond less actively or by causing them to learn to be "helpless". (Editor)

Grant and Roberts found that houselight presented throughout the delay period on a delayed matching-to-sample task caused pigeons to demonstrate a much lower level of accuracy than was found when the delay was spent in darkness. A series of experiments was carried out to examine possible mechanisms responsible for this light-induced retroactive…

These experiments are addressed specifically to the question of whether transituational transfer of immunizing and therapeutic effects will occur when these procedures involve responses and settings which are very different from those used in final testing. (Author/RK)

A series of 13 experiments employing mice systematically investigated shock-elicited activity in a circular field and escape performance in a shuttle box following exposure to either escapable or inescapable shock. Results show that escape interference induced by inescapable shock may be comfortably interpreted in terms of a decreased tendency for…

A quantitative ethogram was developed for the zebra finch, using one-zero focal animal sampling on an ethologically comprehensive checklist of 52 behavioral items, and it was assessed for interobserver reliability and construct validity. Applying the quantitative methods of psychometrics allows verification of ethological theory and testing of…

Pigeons learned discrimination rapidly and responded differentially to pictures seen for the first time. The essential feature of a natural discrimination--which is the ability to cope with natural ranges of variation--was approached and earlier experimental results were extended using other classes of stimuli. (Author/RK)