ERIC Number: EJ869806
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Nov
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0023-9690
EISSN: N/A
Interstimulus Interval and Delivery Cues Influence Timed Conditioned Responding in Rats
Williams, Douglas A.; Chubala, Chrissy M.; Mather, Amber A.; Johns, Kenneth W.
Learning and Motivation, v40 n4 p394-407 Nov 2009
Appetitive contextual excitation supported by intertrial unconditioned stimuli was more easily overcome by timed conditioned responding in rats using quiet (Experiment 1) rather than noisy (Experiment 2) food pellet deliveries. Head-entry responding in acquisition peaked above the contextual baseline when pellet delivery occurred 10, 30, 60, or 90 s after the onset of the 120-s white-noise conditioned stimulus (CS). Special tests in extinction revealed CS onset and offset were conditioned by pellet delivery at 0 and 120 s, respectively. Responding was not undermined in Experiment 3 when noisy pellet deliveries replaced quiet pellet deliveries. Our results suggest that micro-stimuli occasioned at different times during the CS are vulnerable to overshadowing, but do not lose strength if they are already predictive. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Cues, Intervals, Reaction Time, Food, Predictor Variables, Conditioning, Animals, Animal Behavior, Experiments, Learning Processes, Responses, Associative Learning, Time Factors (Learning)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A