Abstract
A sensory preconditioning analogue was employed to separate signaling effects from motivational effects observed in appetitive-to-aversive transfer of training. Rabbits received appetitive conditioning (tone-water pairings) of the jaw-movement response, followed by aversive conditioning of the nictitating membrane response, during which water delivery served as the CS for para-orbital shock. When the tone was subsequently presented, only subjects exposed to both sets of pairings demonstrated conditioned jaw movement and nictitating membrane responses. The occurrence of both responses to the tone is inconsistent with the action of reciprocal inhibition between motivational states. The results are interpreted in terms of multiple mediators for transfer-of-training paradigms.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Asratyan, E. A. (1965).Compensatory adaptations, reflex activity, and the brain., Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Asratyan, E. A. (1980). Reflex mechanisms of motivational behavior. In R. F. Thompson, L. H. Hicks, & V. B. Shvyrkov (Eds.),Neural mechanisms of goal-directed behavior and learning. New York: Academic Press.
Beritoff, J. S. (1965).Neural mechanisms of higher vertebrate behavior. Boston: Little, Brown.
Brogden, W. J. (1939). Sensory pre-conditioning.Journal of Experimental Psychology,25, 323–332.
Bromage, B. K., &Scavio, M. J. (1978). Effects of an aversive CS+ and CS− under deprivation upon successive classical appetitive and aversive conditioning.Animal Learning & Behavior,6, 57–65.
Cousins, L. S., Zamble, E., Tait, R. W., &Suboski, M. D. (1971). Sensory preconditioning in curarized rats.Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology,77, 152–154.
Dearing, M. F., &Dickinson, A. (1979). Counterconditioning of shock by a water reinforcer in rabbits.Animal Learning & Behavior,7, 360–366.
Dickinson, A., &Pearce, J. M. (1977). Inhibitory interactions between appetitive and aversive stimuli.Psychological Bulletin,84, 690–711.
Gormezano, I. (1966). Classical conditioning. In J. B. Sidowski (Ed.),Experimental methods and instrumentation in psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gormezano, I. (1972). Investigations of defense and reward conditioning in the rabbit. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.),Classical conditioning II: Current theory and research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Gormezano, I., &Tait, R. W. (1976). The Pavlovian analysis of instrumental conditioning.Pavlovian Journal of Biological Science,11, 37–55.
Hall, J. F. (1984). Backward conditioning in Pavlovian type studies: Reevaluation and present status.Pavlovian Journal of Biological Science,19, 163–168.
Konorski, J. (1967).Integrative activity of the brain: An interdisciplinary approach. Chicago: Univeristy of Chicago Press.
Krank, M. D. (1985). Asymmetrical effects of Pavlovian excitatory and inhibitory aversive conditioning on Pavlovian appetitive responding and acquisition.Learning & Motivation,16, 35–62.
Overmier, J. B., &Lawry, J. A. (1979). Pavlovian conditioning and the mediation of behavior. In G. H. Bower (Ed.),The psychology of learning and motivation. New York: Academic Press.
Rescorla, R. A., &Solomon, R. L. (1967). Two-process learning theory: Relationships between Pavlovian conditioning and instrumental learning.Psychological Review,74, 151–182.
Scavio, M. J. (1974). Classical-classical transfer: Effects of prior aversive conditioning upon appetitive conditioning in rabbits.Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology,86, 107–115.
Scavio, M. J. (1975). Classical-classical transfer: CR interactions involving appetitive and aversive CSs and USs.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society,6, 475–477.
Scavio, M. J., &Gormezano, I. (1980). Classical-classical transfer: Effects of prior appetitive conditioning upon aversive conditioning in rabbits.Animal Learning & Behavior,8, 218–224.
Sheafor, P. J. (1975). “Pseudoconditioned” jaw movements of the rabbit reflect associations conditioned to contextual background cues.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes,1, 245–260.
Smith, M. C., Di Lollo, V., &Gormezano, I. (1966). Conditioned jaw movement m the rabbit.Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology,62, 479–483.
Soltysik, S. (1971). On the homogeneous and heterogeneous transformation of conditioned reflexes: A comment on the Overmier and Payne case of positive transfer.Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis,31, 401–407.
Spence, K. W. (1956).Behavior theory and conditioning. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Suboski, M. D., &Tait, R. W. (1972). The logic of sensory preconditioning theory and research.Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Assocation,7(Pt. 2), 783–784.
Tait, R. W. (1974).Assessment of the bidirectional conditioning hypothesis through the UCS1-UCS2 conditioning paradigm. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa.
Tait, R. W., &Gormezano, I. (1974). A minicomputer program for stimulus control and analog data for discrete trial paradigms in biological preparations: Classical conditioning.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation,6, 295–300.
Tait, R. W., &Saladin, M. E. (1986). Concurrent development of excitatory and inhibitory associations during backward conditioning.Animal Learning & Behavior,14, 133–137.
Wagner, A. R. (1981). SOP: A model of automatic memory processing in animal behavior. In N. E. Spear & R. R. Miller (Eds.),Information processing in animals: Memory mechanisms. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by Grant A0312 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to R. W. Tait.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tait, R.W., Quesnel, L.J. & Ten Have, W.N. Classical-classical transfer: Excitatory associations between “competing” motivational stimuli during classical conditioning of the rabbit. Animal Learning & Behavior 14, 138–143 (1986). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03200048
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03200048