Discrimination learning under various combinations of food and shock for "correct" and "incorrect" responses.

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Abstract
To assess various interpretations of the paradoxical facilitating effect of shock for the correct response on visual discrimination learning, the performances of shock-right, shock-both, and no-shock groups were investigated employing a noncorrection procedure; a novel food-both group received both shock and food for "correct" responses and only food for "incorrect" responses. Efficiency of performance, beginning with the poorest group, was food-both, shock-right, shock-both, and no-shock, the difference between any 2 groups being statistically significant except for comparison of the shock-both and no-shock groups. The data support an avoidance rather than a cognitive-perceptual interpretation of the effect of shock and delimit any generalization of a facilitating effect of shock for the correct response.

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