Facilitation of extinction by a stimulus associated with long nonshock confinement periods.

Abstract

Rats were trained to avoid shock in a jump-out box. In several groups in Experiment 1, a flashing light was presented during confinement in the non-shock box (the intertrial interval); during extinction, the light was presented for the first time in the shock box. This light, provided it had also been paired with long non-shock confinement, facilitated extinction, independently of generalization decrement. In Experiment 2, stimulus control of extinction responding was increased over that in Experiment 1 by use of a discrimination procedure during acquisition[long dash]pairing the light with long nonshock periods and omitting the light during short nonshock periods.