Also includes the Michael and Baron files
Branch, M. N. (2001).
Are responses in avoidance procedures "safety" signals?
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
75, 351-353.
Dinsmoor’s (2001) position has the advantage of parsimony in that
it relies on well-established principles rather than a separate
process - shock- frequency reduction - to account for avoidance.
Other advantages are that it blends well with what is known about
the effectiveness of momentary contiguities in the study of
positive reinforcement and that it might provide an account of
why different response forms seem to condition at different
rates. Despite these advantages, the view needs elaboration about
the temporal characteristics of response-associated stimuli, the
functions that "warning" stimuli may have, and
especially about how "safety" is established.
Key words: avoidance, two-factor theory, shock-frequency
reduction, safety signals, proprioceptive stimuli