Thus, the objective of this work was to verify the suppressive effects of the contingent and
noncontingent presentation of hot air blast (HAB), if tested in situations like those required
to produce this effect with electric shock. After the pressure training the bar phase and the
identification of the baseline, six rats were divided into two groups with three animals each.
The groups were exposed to twenty sessions in each phase (baseline, test phase and
reconditioning), but for the Punishment Group (PUN) the HAB was administered in a
contingent manner by pressing the bar in a joint scheme of VI 30s punishment + VI 30s
reinforcement, while for the Yoked Group (ACO) the HAB occurred in a non-contingent
manner, due to the occurrence in the Punishment Group, superimposed on a reinforcement
scheme (VI 30s). In the end of the experiment, the percentage suppression index was 73%
for PUN group and 49% for ACO group. The identified differential suppression was the
missing element to legitimize HAB as a punitive stimulus capable of suppressing previously
established responses and of testing the generality of aversive events with electric shock in
basic experimental procedures.
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