Theory and experiment relating psychoanalytic displacement to stimulus-response generalization.

Abstract

Pairs of albino rats were trained to strike one another to gain relief from an electric shock. On test trials in the absence of another rat they struck at a celluloid doll. This could be explained as displaced aggression or as generalization from the other rat to the doll. Similar generalization was shown to occur from one motive to another. Thirsty rats learned simple maze habit to obtain water. In test trials, when satiated with water, they ran faster and drank more water when motivated by hunger, pain (from shock), or fear (of repeated shock). The generalized response showed extinction and spontaneous recovery in the absence of either the appropriate drive or the appropriate reward. Displacement is expected only when the gradient of generalization of conflicting response is steeper than that of the inhibited response. Assuming curved gradients, eight deductions are made concerning strength of various displaced responses. Verbal labels affect generalization gradients, consequently unconscious behavior should exhibit more displacement than conscious behavior. 25 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)