Studies in the effect of shock upon behavior plasticity in the rat.

Regression I. Experimental approaches to regression

“…Fraisse and Piaget (), describing an experimental study of regression, refer to Sanders (), who performed experiments with animals and demonstrated that under electrocutaneous stimulation, rats returned to their old mode of behaviour, forgetting a newly formed one. This result was later demonstrated in several works based also on the analysis of behavioural phenomena of return to a previously formed skill, even in a situation where this return was not adaptive (Kleemeier ; see also: Sanders ) in animals in a stress situation, caused by electrical stimulation of the skin (Mowrer ; Steckle & O’Kelly ), accompanied by high emotionality, emotional stress (Hamilton & Krechevsky ; Sanders ; Kleemeier ). The impossibility, for one reason or another, of performing learned effective behaviour in a given environment was also pointed out as a situational factor of regression (e.g.…”

“…Regression is also seen as a characteristic 'violation' of behaviour under strong emotion (associated with frustration, a lack of an adequate experience of the situation, etc.) (see, e.g., Janet 1928;Fraisse & Piaget 1968;Jung 1953;Lewin 1951;Hamilton & Krechevsky 1933;Sanders 1937;Kleemeier 1942;Barker et al 1947;Wilkinson 2010;Carey 2015). Finally, the phenomena related to the regression of behaviour due to alcohol intoxication are noted (see, e.g., Salvatore 1972Salvatore , 1975.…”

THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ‘CONFLICT’ AND ‘EXPERIMENTAL NEUROSIS’1

“…Prequently 'phobic' responses occur in which the subject violently struggles t o retreat as far as possible from a particular set of stimuli (9,28). In other instances, the subject may revert to a type of response pattern which characterized his behaviour at a much earlier period in his life or in his reactions to the particular environmental conditions concerned-a form of ' regression' (10). We have recently observed this phenomenon in our laboratory during a study of negative transfer involving simple visual pattern discrimination.…”

Generalization of fixated behavior in the rat.

“…For example, if m^l iwal responds in an unchanging fashion to a given situation, it l-cka variability, but, if it continues to respond in its repetitive fashion when the situation is changed and another mode of response is required, then we can say that the animal i3 fixated. It appears that Hamilton and Krechevsky (5) It appeared that fixated rats were better able to adjust to the attackproducing situation, indicating that fixations are some sort of adjustment mechanism.…”

“…If (5) found that when rats wore learning to go to the opposite alley in a single unit fl-niaae, shock at the cnoice point in the maze caused them to select a response and not deviate from it regardless of its consequences. Overall (1) used the delay period at the choice-point in a single unit T-iaaze as puni:\haent, and found sL.dL<ir results, Al though there was food rei/,iXu *n jo-h arms of the 5. mase, the experliauntol group showed a greater consistency in their choice of directions than did the control group of animals.…”