Evidence for a Hierarchical Structure Underlying Avoidance Behavior

Declercq, Mieke
Houwer, Jan De

¹Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

²Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Mieke Declercq, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. E-mail: [email protected]

This research was funded by Grant BOF-01100805 from Ghent University.

Received May 11, 2008; Revision received May 23, 2008; Accepted May 24, 2008

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 35(1):p 123-128, January 2009. | DOI: 10.1037/a0012927

In studies on avoidance learning, a warning signal is followed by an aversive unconditioned stimulus unless the participant performs a designated response. The authors examined whether avoidance behavior can be based on hierarchical knowledge, that is, knowledge about the conditions under which certain relations hold. In the present study, a single avoidance response had different effects depending on the nature of the warning signal. Results showed that participants acquired this hierarchical knowledge and used it to avoid negative outcomes. The results are in line with an occasion setting account of avoidance learning and can be explained also by a modified version of Lovibond's (2006) account of avoidance learning.