ESCAPE BEHAVIOR UNDER CONTINUOUS REINFORCEMENT AS A FUNCTION OF AVERSIVE LIGHT INTENSITY.

Researchers put rats in a box with a bright light. The light got stronger across sessions.

Each rat could press a lever to turn the light off. Every press worked. This is called continuous reinforcement.

Escape speed did not grow in a straight line. It sped up most at medium light levels.

Very dim or very bright light gave slower escapes. The curve looked like an upside-down U.

Aragona et al. (1975) ran a similar setup. They also changed shock intensity and saw choice, not speed. Both papers show the same curve shape, so the finding is not a fluke.

Blanchard et al. (1979) kept intensity the same but made the warning light longer. They proved timing, not just strength, guides escape. Together the three papers say: aversive events push behavior, but only at the right middle dose.

Duker et al. (1991) swapped intensity for frequency. Monkeys picked the schedule with fewer shocks. This adds a third knob—how often, not how bad—that you can turn when you design plans.

When you set up escape or break cards, think goldilocks. Too easy or too hard and the kid may not use the response. Aim for the middle aversive level—just enough to motivate, not shut down. Then check if timing or rate needs tuning too.