Preference for Warning in an Unavoidable Shock Situation: Replication and Extension

To replicate and extend the previously reported preference for warning in an unavoidable shock situation rats were tested individually in a two-compartment grid shuttle box and whether a preference for signal prior to unavoidable shock could be established over a shock-alone condition was observed. Ss were tested at warning durations of 3, 5, 10, 20 and 30 sec. All Ss exhibited a clear preference for the signal-shock condition, regardless of duration of warning.

Role of Dominance Status in Shock-Stimulated Agonistic Behavior

To clarify the relationship between dominance status and frequency of specific sub-classes of agonistic behavior in response to foot shock, 30 mice were selected on the basis of high- or low-dominance status and paired in a foot-shock situation. Dominant pairs exhibit a high frequency of defensive behavior patterns whereas submissive pairs exhibit a very low frequency of defensive patterns.