Aggressiveness and learning ability: Effect of histories of wins or defeats on avoidance learning in mice

The Organization of Aggression and Fear In Vertebrates

“…Various studies have demonstrated that the winning of encounters increases the probability that an animal will respond by attack to a subsequent situation that evokes attack or fear behavior (pain-induced: Kimbrell and Chesler, 1971, for rats; Legrand and Fielder, 1973, for mice; intermale fighting: Ginsburg and Allee, 1942;Scott, 1946;Lagerspetz, 1964;Bevan et al, 1960, for mice). Conversely, defeat increases the probability that an animal will subsequently respond to such a situation with either distress calls, escape avoidance, or immobility (Kimbrell and Chesler, 1971, for rats in response to shock; Kahn, 1951, for mice), and defeat also facilitates the learning of an avoidance task involving escape in response to signaled shock (Hudgens and MacNeil, 1970).…”

“…Both Azrin (1970) and Roberts and Blase (1971) also used shock to punish shock-induced attack, in monkeys and rats, respectively, and found that attacks decreased as a function of the intensity of contingent shock. Other studies have involved artificially induced defeat following aggressive encounters (e.g., in mice: Hudgens and MacNeil, 1970;Kahn, 1951;Lagerspetz, 1964), with the result that attack became markedly reduced or absent on subsequent occasions. On the other hand, fear behavior (distress vocalizations and escape behavior) was facilitated by such treatments.…”

Aggressiveness and performance in a mini-system context.

“…Hudgens and MacNeil (1970) found that mice with a history of success in aggressive encounters perform less well on a stressful avoidance task than do mice with a history of failure. Similar findings with monkeys hid been reported by Levine and Gordon (1968).…”