A rat chamber and electrode procedure for avoidance conditioning.
A method was developed for studying the reactions of rats to aversive shock. The distinctive features were the design of the chamber and a method of restraint that allowed the use of surface electrodes to deliver the shock. Advantages of this method were: (1) accurate specification of the shock actually received by the rat; (2) elimination of all unauthorized escape or avoidance reactions; (3) elimination of the shock scramblers and floor grids required with foot-shock; and, (4) rapid acquisition of performance under various avoidance procedures and various frequencies of shock delivery.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D004597:Electroshock; D004924:Escape Reaction; D008297:Male; D011589:Psychology, Experimental / Q000295:instrumentation; D051381:Rats