Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1982 Oct-Dec;17(4):204-14.
doi: 10.1007/BF03001275.

Species-specific defense reactions and avoidance learning. An evaluative review

M Crawford, F A Masterson

Species-specific defense reactions and avoidance learning. An evaluative review

M Crawford et al. Pavlov J Biol Sci. 1982 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Bolles (1970) proposed a theory of avoidance learning, the species-specific defense reaction (SSDR) hypothesis, which emphasized innate constraints on the response repertoire of rats in aversive situations and minimized the role of reinforcement in avoidance learning. The present paper describes Bolles' (1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1978) development of SSDR theory and reviews the empirical tests of its assumptions and predictions. It is concluded that the SSDRs described by Bolles, along with some others, are highly probable in aversive situations but that the response repertoire is not limited to them. Further, there is strong evidence for reinforcement effects in the establishment and maintenance of at least some avoidance responses.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Psychol Rev. 1974 May;81(3):199-213 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Anal Behav. 1965 May;8:171-80 - PubMed
    1. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1964 Feb;57:123-6 - PubMed
    1. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1972 Oct;81(1):94-100 - PubMed
    1. Pavlov J Biol Sci. 1978 Jul-Sep;13(3):154-62 - PubMed

Publication types