K. Shemberg’s research while affiliated with Bowling Green State University and other places

Rats were exposed to 23½ h of either escapable, inescapable, or nonshock conditions. Weight loss was significantly greater for inescapable Ss when compared to either escape or nonshocked Ss. These results appear to agree with prior research that has suggested an inverse relationship between stressfulness and weight gain. The data is also consistent with the hypothesis that the availability of a coping response may partially mitigate the deleterious effects of shock induced stress.

Gastric ulcertation was studied in rats exposed to predictable shock (signaled) or unpredictable shock (either random signals and shock or shock alone), where these shock programs were delivered under conditions of either fixed or variable shock durations. Results were compatible with previous work, suggesting that predictable shocks are less ulcerogenic than unpredictable ones. In addition, the present study suggests that this relationship obtains when unpredictability is defined as signals and shocks at random or as shocks with no signals. Also, predictable shock was less ulcerogenic than unpredictable shock irrespective of when the shock durations were fixed or variable.

Four groups of rats were exposed to a highly ulcerogenic procedure. Three experimental groups were given programmed injections of three different concentrations of chlorpromazine and a control group received physiological saline. All drug concentrations significantly reduced ulceration relative to controls. The lowest concentration proved least effective in this regard, but no simple linear relationship was found between drug concentration and frequency of ulceration. A tentative hypothesis regarding an all-or-none protective function of the drug was suggested, and parameters for future research outlined.

The effects of learning to perform a rewarded bar-press response under inescapable shock upon later performance under inescapable shock were studied. Rats underwent one of three treatments: bar-press for water during inescapable shock (RR), yoked shock control (SC), or no-treatment control (C). The Ss then learned to panel-press for food, and were subsequently tested to determine the degree to which inescapable shock interfered with panel-pressing. The Ss in the RR group were less disrupted than SC or C Ss, and C Ss were the most disrupted. The possibility of results being mediated by a learned expectancy was suggested.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of aversive levels of white noise on consummatory behavior. Three levels of sound were chosen for study (90, 100, and 110 dB). The results showed that Ss in the sound treatment conditions consumed significantly greater quantities of food on the second sound treatment day than did Ss in the no-sound control condition. In addition, there were no systematic differences in consummatory behavior among the three treatment conditions.