Effect of Escape versus Non-Escape Responses from the Goal Box during Extinction

Abstract

Animals were trained in a runway under conditions of food reward and extinguished under conditions which either allowed escape into a second runway or resulted in confinement in the empty goal box (Non-escape group). The hypothesis derived from Hullian theory stated that an Escape group which was forced to perform twice the work of a Non-escape group for an equal number of non-reinforced trials would extinguish faster. The alternative hypothesis derived from elicitation theory predicted the reverse because the Escape group is allowed a compatible escape response from the frustrating situation while the Non-escape group can only make incompatible responses in the nonreinforced goal box which will interfere with the original learned response. The Hullian hypothesis was supported only on the first day of extinction. The following days the Escape group increased their running speed and data supported the elicitation theory. The Non-escape group also failed to extinguish which is hard to explain in terms of either theoretical system. It was suggested that a frustration drive theory might better account for the data.