I didn't mention a conditioned aversive stimulus.  My general
psychology prof made it clear that it is impossible to condition a
stimulus!  However, we know that animals are capable of timing, so
that an emotional response could vary in a time-dependent manner.
Unsignaled avoidance isn't a problem (or at least it wasn't in my
dissertation 20 years ago).

*************************************************
Michael T. Scoles, Ph.D.
Director, Arkansas Charter School Resource Center
Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR 72035
voice: (501) 450-5418
fax:   (501) 450-5424
*************************************************


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Brandon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 11:02 AM

> The idea that avoidance is really escape from a conditioned
> aversive
> stimulus works well for signalled (discriminated)
> avoidance, but less
> well for unsignalled (free operant) avoidance.
> Further refinements of experimental procedure in which responding
> reduces the likelihood of the occurrence of the aversive
> stimulus are
> even less compatible with an escape explanation.
> On the operational level, of course, the distinction is clear:
> either a specified aversive condition is present until a given
> behavior is emitted, or it isn't.
> The occurrence of hypothetical internal events is less
> clear, so the
> controversy is more about the hypothesized underlying
> mechanisms than
> the behavior process itself.


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