EFFECTS OF PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT SHOCK-INTENSITY UPON LICKING SUPPRESSION IN RATS

Two groups of rats were run to examine the effects of presence and abs ence of information about shock intensity upon the suppression of rats ' licking behavior. Shocks of two different intensities were consisten tly preceded by signals of two different modalities. The modality of s ignal and the shock intensity were correlated for Group C (Correlated) , but they were not for Group UC (Uncorrelated). Group C clearly evide nced shock intensity discrimination which was manifested in differenti al conditioned suppression. The baseline licking behavior of rats was suppressed more in Group UC than in Group C, indicating that there was more aversion to the situation in which information about shock inten sity was not given than to the situation in which such information was given. The findings were discussed with reference to the results of a computer simulation based on the Rescorla-Wagner model (Rescorla & Wa gner, 1972).