Punishment in training contexts decrease operant renewal in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract A previously reinforced and then extinguished response can recur following a change in the environmental context despite extinction remaining in effect, often referred to as renewal. Using zebrafish, the present study examined how adding a punishment contingency to the training context affected the level of renewal. In Context A, responding was reinforced during Phase 1a and then exposed to either reinforcement plus punishment or reinforcement only in Phase 1b. During Phase 2, we extinguished responding in Context B and extinction remained in effect when returning to Context A during Phase 3. Responding was lower with than without the punishment history in Phase 1b after controlling reinforcement rates with a yoking procedure. Thus, the history of punishment produced lower levels of renewal compared with the absence of punishment. These findings join others suggesting contexts mediate the effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment contingencies.