“Choice box” for testing the repellency of insecticides to cockroaches. Back half of box is covered with fiberboard, creating preferred dark refuge for cockroaches. However, repellent insecticides will result in some of the insects learning to avoid the dark area before picking up a lethal dose.

The research with electric shock studies in cockroach learning that was reported in this paper was conducted by Cornell University (New York) psychologists Hirochi Minami and Karl M. Dallenbach.