Coping with frustration: transfer between consummatory and anticipatory tasks

Abstract

The present experiments were designed to investigate transfer of tolerance to frustration between consummatory (cSNC) and anticipatory tasks (autoshaping and taste conditioning). The initial finding (Experiments 1-2) were consistent with the type of asymmetric transfer described by Glueck et al. (2013). In both cases, the cSNC task in Phase 1 influenced a subsequent task (one-way avoidance or autoshaping extinction), but it was not influenced by any of these tasks when cSNC occurred in Phase 2. Experiment 3-7, investigated the asymmetric transfer seen between autoshaping and cSNC. Experiments 3, explored whether the lack of transfer from autoshaping to cSNC was due to insufficient counterconditioning. In Experiment 3, the number of counterconditioning opportunities was tripled, and there was a nonsignificant trend towards negative transfer.^Experiment 4 enhanced the counterconditioning experience during autoshaping acquisition through the administration of naloxone and, also, yielded a nonsignificant trend towards negative transfer. Experiment 5, explored whether equating the incentives used during both task (sucrose pellets in autoshaping and sucrose in cSNC), would yield evidence of transfer, and here there was a nonsignificant trend toward positive transfer. Experiment 6 and 7 explored whether modifying the cSNC parameters would yield significant transfer. In Experiment 6, the number of preshift sessions was doubled to enhance the cSNC effect; however, this manipulation also yielded a nonsignificant trend toward negative transfer. For Experiment 7 the discrepancy ratio was reduced from an 8:1 to 5.5:1 ratio and then animals experienced a brief reacquisition under CR in autoshaping followed by appetitive extinction.^This experiment yielded a significant negative transfer during cSNC for animals with prior PR and downshift experience, and then these same animals demonstrated a resistance to extinction training (positive transfer). The results of current research presented in this document indicate that transfer is not as universal as Amsel (1992) initially believed.