Four groups of rats were extinguished in an alley after receiving the following treatments: Group 1 was given 6 rewarded goalbox placements, Group 2 6 nonrewarded placements, Group 3 received 6 rewarded placements in a neutral box, and Group 4 was merely handled. Prior to these treatments all groups were given 32 training trials. From Theios and Brelsford's theory, it was predicted that rewarded goalbox placements would decrease resistance to extinction; however, such placements increased persistence behavior. The results were discussed within an incentive hypothesis.
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