Ch 10: Avoidance & 2-Factor Theory

Making a response to prevent an aversive stimulus from occurring

Bc imagining that a response occurs from something not happening is hard i.

e. How can the absence of an event be the reinforcer?

Mowrer's Two-Factor Theory

- 1st Factor: Pavlovian fear conditioning of warning stimuli, which motivates avoidance behavior and provides the opportunity for...

- 2nd Factor: Reinforcement of the instrumental response through fear reduction (when you make the response, the signal and shock turns off; this is the reinforcer)

- Unsignaled avoidance - Lack of extinction

According to two-factor theory, terminating the warning signal (and escaping fear) should play a major role in allowing avoidance learning, by providing reinforcement through fear reduction Sidman's "free-operant avoidance" procedure eliminated warning signal

- Rat receives brief electric shock at regular intervals (5 sec) unless it made a lever press response. - If rat pressed the lever, the response initiated a "response-shock" interval (20 sec). - If response-shock interval was longer than the shock-shock interval (20 sec), the rat learned to lever-press. - Outcome: Rats still learn avoidance

Bc rat can make the response whenever it wants to

If the signal is no longer paired with shock, extinction should occur, but it doesn't.

Protection from Extinction