Time-out punishment: Preexposure to time-out and opportunity to respond during time-out.

Abstract

30 female albino rats trained on a 3-response cycle, in which the 1st 2 lever presses were reinforced and R3 produced 2 min. of time-out, i.e., extinction or lever retraction, showed response suppression in comparison to a previous control phase when R3 was unreinforced but not punished. Suppression, which lost 1/3 of available reinforcements, was more extreme with respect to R3 than R2. Prior time-out discrimination training and lever retraction during time-out initially reduced suppressive effects, although marked and equivalent suppression was observed under all conditions after 35 punishment sessions. It is concluded that time-out is an aversive event whose effects parallel those of noxious stimuli. Explanations in terms of positive reinforcement and extinction effects were considered but found inadequate. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)