Avoidance learning is a term to describe when living beings learn an avoidance response to stop themselves from experiencing an unpleasant stimulus (usually an electrical shock). The reinforcement comes from results from not experiencing the punishment or negative stimulus. 1 Avoidance behavior tests are usually carried out on animals, most often rodents.
This article will explore the two types of avoidance learning – passive and active – and the key characteristics of each.
Defining Passive Avoidance Learning
In the passive form, the avoidance contingency is focused on a specified response not occurring. Passive avoidance tasks can be advantageous over active avoidance because they involve rodents inhibiting a natural response.
Generally, in passive avoidance learning experiments, the animal is put inside an apparatus with two chambers, specifically designed to encourage it to move from one area to another. 2
Active Avoidance Learning
Active avoidance learning involves the subject making a specified response when the warning signal is given. Making the specified response avoids the negative stimulus.
With active avoidance learning, animals must actively exhibit specific behaviors that are defined by those running the tests. This could be crossing from one side to another, crossing over to one side and back to the starting side to avoid shock, or not crossing to the other side when the gate opens. All of these behaviors are exhibited to avoid the punishment and this type of avoidance learning is more easily learned. 3
Why is Avoidance Learning So Important?
Avoidance learning is a critical element of operant conditioning, setting out the way in which learning behavior is affected by fear conditioning and negatively reinforced consequences. Some academic researchers assert that excessive avoidance contributes to anxiety disorders, causing neuroscientists and psychologists to investigate how the use of various drugs contributes to the fear responses.
Avoidance Learning and Escape Responses
Avoidance learning generally comes after escape learning. Escape learning involves fleeing stimuli completely so there is no need to deal with an unpleasant or challenging situation. Avoidance learning is a direct result of escape responses as it involves a prior experience of the stimuli.
Avoidance Learning with SDI Gemini System
San Diego Instruments are experts in the field of learning and memory studies. The Gemini active and passive avoidance system has been created to provide accurate and reliable results in these investigations, allowing for up to eight independently operated stations to be run concurrently from one laptop. This system decreases the run time data entry that could adversely impact the accuracy of results.
To find out more about how this system works and how you could use it in your avoidance learning investigations, get in touch with the team at San Diego Instruments today.
References
- “Avoidance Learning definition | Psychology Glossary | alleydog.com.” AlleyDog.com, https://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Avoidance+Learning. Accessed 16 February 2022.
- Hof, Patrick R.., et al., editors. Functional Neurobiology of Aging. Elsevier Science, 2001. Accessed 16 February 2022
- Springer Link. “Active Avoidance Learning.” Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, 2009, https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_65#:~:text=Active%20avoidance%20is%20a%20term,glossary)%20are%20more%20easily%20learned. Accessed 16 February 2022.