Positive affective states can play the role of context to renew extinguished instrumental behavior in rats.

In one experiment with rats, we examined whether positive affective states can serve as contexts in a between-subjects ABA renewal design using appetitive instrumental conditioning. Two groups of rats received training to press a lever for food where each acquisition session was preceded by administration of a tickling procedure (Context A) known to induce positive affective states. Then, lever pressing underwent extinction where rats received a pure handling treatment (Context B) before each session.