Abstract
Sprague-Dawley rat pups aged 14 or 18 days were trained on a patterned (single) alternation schedule with either an 8- or a 105-sec intertriai interval (ITI). At the 8-sec ITI, alternation learning was obtained at both ages, but the older age group learned more rapidly. There was no evidence of response alternation at the 105-sec ITI at either age. Continuously reinforced (CRF) and partially reinforced (PRF) groups trained and extinguished along with the patterned alternation (PA) group at the 105-sec ITI showed a robust partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) at both ages. Moreover, there was no difference in the rate of extinction of the PRF and PA groups at either age (i.e., no effect of N-length). A PREE can therefore be obtained in infant rats under conditions that apparently preclude the formation of sequential associations. The implications of this finding for the ontogeny of instrumental learning and extinction are discussed.
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This research constitutes a portion of the author’s doctoral dissertation submitted to The University of Texas at Austin. It was supported by NIMH Grant MH-30778 to Abram Amsel.
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Stanton, M. Dissociation of patterned alternation learning and the partial reinforcement extinction effect in preweanling rats. Animal Learning & Behavior 11, 415–423 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199796
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199796