INCREASE IN VOLITIONAL ETHANOL CONSUMPTION FOLLOWING INTERFERENCE WITH A LEARNED AVOIDANCE RESPONSE

In a self-selection situation, rats performing a discriminated shock avoidance task increased their intake of ethanol significantly when unavoidable random shock signalled by a warning light was simultaneously delivered. During the control shock avoidance period or when non-cued unavoidable shock was delivered, the animals exhibited their normal aversion to ethanol. As a result of these findings, a differentiation was made between two kinds of stressors: the behavioral stress of cued random unavoidable shock (punishment) and/or the physical stress of non-cued unavoidable shock. For the first time a relationship has been established in animals between a so-called psychological stressor and the volitional selection of ethanol. © 1968.