Effects of caudate lesions on the acquisition and retention of Sidman avoidance in the rat

Rats with caudate lesions were compared with normals and controls on a nonsignaled Sidman avoidance schedule. Though acquisition rates were generally comparable, performance for caudates was permanently impaired during both acquisition and retention tests. Caudate Ss adopted an inefficient response pattern which was characterized by sustained postshock response bursts followed by long pauses and which resulted in substantially higher shock rates.