| Phase 1 -- Rats are divided into the following three groups: | |||||
| Group 1 -- Emitic drug will be given after Phase 2, rats get sick ½ hr. later. | |||||
| Group 2 -- X-rays will be given after Phase 2, rats get sick ½ hr. later. | |||||
| Group 3 -- Each lick during Phase 2 is followed by a painful electric shock.. | |||||
| Phase 2 -- All rats have ten minutes access to water. The water has a slightly salty taste. Each lick produces a click and flash of light. | |||||
| Phase 3 -- The next day (rats in groups 1 and 2 have recovered), the rats are again offered water. The rats in each of the three main treatment groups are further subdivided into three groups, each offered water accompanied by only one of the three potential CSs -- salty taste, light flash, or tone. The results for the nine subgroups are: | |||||
| Salty taste | Flash | Click | |||
| Group 1 | Suppress | Drink | Drink | ||
| Group 2 | Suppress | Drink | Drink | ||
| Group 3 | Drink | Suppress | Suppress | ||
| Conclusion: Animals are biologically prepared to make some associations easier than others. | |||||
Superstition in the Pigeon by B. F. Skinner (1948). Coming soon.
[Last modified on November 8, 1996.]