This expt. confirms an implication of rein-forcement learning theory that cues contiguous with pain reduction can acquire secondary reinforcement value. Rats run in a black alley following shock made fewer errors and took fewer trials to reach a criterion in a black-white choice situation with black positive than rats in a white alley following shock. Tentatively it is suggested that the excitation values of the reward cues are not closely related to the strength of fear at the time of testing, also that this type of study may aid in clarifying the roles of motivational-reward factors in the development of fixated behavior.