Free-operant avoidance behavior in rats with lateral septal lesions: Effect of shock intensity.
The purpose of experiment 1 was to examine the relationship between shock intensity and normal rats' free-operant (Sidman) avoidance performance on a 3-component, multiple schedule. The results showed an inverted U-shaped relation between response rate and shock intensity, but no consistent relation between shock rate and shock intensity was found. Experiment 2 showed that lateral sptal lesions produced a bidirectional change in reactivity to electric shock. An increased reactivity was observed in the initial sessions starting on the 11th day after the surgery, while a reduced reactivity was observed in the final sessions when stable performance had been reacquired. These changes were not a function of the waning of general hyperreactivity with post-operative recovery: the septal lesions in this study did not produce any "sham rage". From 40 to 80% of the variance in response rates was accounted for by this bidirectional change in the reactivity to shock.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D011889:Rage / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000502:physiology*; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors