Abstract
Two experiments with rat subjects in a conditioned punishment paradigm are reported. These experiments attempted to determine if the events entering into association with the CS following conditioning with informative (forward) and noninformative (simultaneous) CSs were comparable. In Experiment 1, exposure to intense shock alone following trace (ISI = 10 sec) conditioning with moderate shock enhanced the suppressive effects of a 2-sec CS. A similar manipulation following explicitly unpaired CS-US presentations (ISI = 2 min) had no effect. These data were taken as evidence that the CS and US were associated during trace conditioning. Experiment 2 showed that exposure to intense shock following simultaneous conditioning also enhanced suppression to the CS. These results suggested that simultaneous and forward conditioning procedures yield similar forms of associative learning.
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This research was supported by Grant MH 26827 to Steven F. Maier. This study is based on part of a dissertation thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree at the University of Colorado by Jack E. Sherman.
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Sherman, J.E. US inflation with trace and simultaneous fear conditioning. Animal Learning & Behavior 6, 463–468 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209645
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209645