See erratum, JEAB, 2001, 76, 350.
Dinsmoor, J. A. (2001).
Stimuli inevitably generated by behavior that avoids electric shock are inherently reinforcing.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
75, 311-333.
A molecular analysis based on the termination of stimuli that are
positively correlated with shock and the production of stimuli
that are negatively correlated with shock provides a parsimonious
account for both traditional discrete-trial avoidance behavior
and the data derived from more recent free-operant procedures.
The necessary stimuli are provided by the intrinsic feedback
generated by the subject’s behavior, in addition to those
presented by the experimenter. Moreover, all data compatible with
the molar principle of shock-frequency reduction as reinforcement
are also compatible with a delay-of-shock gradient, but some data
compatible with the delay gradient are not compatible with
frequency reduction. The delay gradient corresponds to functions
relating magnitude of behavioral effect to the time between
conditional and unconditional stimuli, the time between
conditioned and primary reinforcers, and the time between
responses and positive reinforcers.
Key words: avoidance, feedback, safety signal, delay, molar,
frequency reduction, shock