General learned irrelevance and its prevention

Random presentation of a tone and an electric shock to rats interfered with subsequent acquisition of a light-shock association. This interference, or "general learned irrelevance" phenomenon, however, could be prevented by p rior learning of a positive relationship between the tone and the shock or that between a noise and the shock. These results strongly support the idea s that animals learn irrelevant stimulus relationships and that prior exper ience of stimulus relevance prevents learning irrelevance. The similarity o f this observed prevention effect to an immunization effect on learned help lessness phenomena is discussed. (C) 1999 Academic Press.