This document discusses discriminated avoidance learning in humans and animals. It describes how a warning signal prompts an avoidance response to prevent or remove an aversive stimulus. The dominant two-process theory explains that classical conditioning creates a fear response to the warning signal, and operant conditioning reinforces the avoidance response because it reduces this fear. The avoidance response is maintained because it allows escape from the conditioned fear response, not because it directly prevents the aversive stimulus.

1. Human Learning
Topic 9: Avoidance
CEDP503 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 1 3/30/2012

2. Discriminated Avoidance
 A warning signal is given
 A response prevents or removes the stimulus
 Escape trials
 Organism makes response to ‘remove’ stimulus
 Happens early in training
 Avoidance trials
 Organism makes response to avoid stimulus

3. Two process theory
 What do you ‘get’ in avoidance?
 Actually nothing
 ‘nothing’ cant cause something
 Two process theory
 Explains most of avoidance behavior
 Is the standard
 Is not perfect

4. More two-process
 Classical conditioning
 CS paired with US  fear
 motivation
 Operant conditioning
 Reduction of fear is a negative reinforcer
 Terminating the CS  reducing fear

5. What is learned?
 Escape from conditioned fear
 This maintains the behavior
 Prevention of shock
 Is the by-product or outcome of the behavior
 This does not control the response

6. Acquired drive
 Experimental paradigm
 Separate CC and OC components
 Produce conditioned fear
 CS  US
 Expose CS and permit termination of it
 Organisms learn to make the response

7. Extinction of avoidance
 Avoiding a stimulus
 Breaking the CS-US connection of fear
 But the response persists dramatically
 How to extinguish?
 Flooding
 Present the CS without the US
 Do not allow the avoidance response
 Response blocking
 Prevent response that terminates the CS
 No CS US pairings
 Failure to make the avoidance response  no shock

8. Free operant avoidance
 No warning signal
 Two process theory does not explain this
 Organisms still learn to make the response
 Humans
 CO2 administrations for 20 seconds
 Pull a plunger prevents this
 No instructions provided