An avoidance response is a form of escape behavior present in animal

Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...

s in which the subject evades an aversive event. This can be due to anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...

 or a frightening situation. Avoidance response is a response that is not necessarily conditioned before being exposed to in the stressful or fearful situation, the stimuli could be neutral. See for example studies involving avoidance response.

Avoidance responses are used in animal training and are the commonly expected response to behavioural modification using negative reinforcement. Common examples of avoidance responses in animal training are:

• a horse submits to the bit (slowing or stopping) in order to avoid the pressure or pain that the bit causes in its mouth if it is jerked back.
• a dog learns to walk quietly at a handler's side in order to avoid being choked by its leash.

See also

• Escape response
  Escape response
  Escape response, escape reaction, or escape behaviour is a possible reaction in response to stimuli indicative of danger, in particular, it initiates an escape motion of an animal...
  
  
• Startle reaction
  Startle reaction
  The startle response is a brainstem reflex that serves to protect the back of the neck , or the eye , and also facilitates escape from sudden stimuli. It is found across the lifespan and in many species. An individual's emotional state may lead to a variety of different responses...
  
  
• Flight zone
  Flight zone
  The flight zone of an animal is the area surrounding the animal that will cause alarm and escape behavior when encroached upon. If a person enters the flight zone of an animal, the animal will move away. The size of the flight zone depends upon the tameness of the animal. Completely tame animals...
  
  
• Fight-or-flight response
  Fight-or-flight response
  The fight-or-flight response was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon....