Warmup in free-operant avoidance as a function of the response-shock = shock-shock interval.

Warmup effects, the repeated within-session transitions from ineffective to effective avoidance, were examined with rats on free-operant shock-delay procedures. The shock-shock and response-shock intervals were kept equal as they were varied. As measured by both response rates and shock rates, the magnitude of within-session change in performance was inversely related to the size of the manipulated intervals. The duration of warmup tended to decrease as the intervals were increased. This finding, that increased shock frequencies do not shorten the warmup, appears to be inconsistent with all interpretations of the warmup that have been offered to date. Late-session performances replicated general features of prior experiments, but differed with respect to details of secondary conclusions in previous reports. These differences may stem from the selection of especially proficient avoiders for previous experiments.