Abstract
A conditioned suppression experiment with rats studied the development of two discriminations involving two conditioned stimuli, A and X. In one discrimination (AX+/A−), compound presentations of A and X signaled shock and presentations of A alone signaled no-shock. In the other discrimination (A+/AX−), A alone signaled shock and AX signaled no-shock. AX+/A− discriminations were learned more rapidly than their A+/AX− counterparts. These results, which resemble the feature-positive effect of Jenkins and Sainsbury (1969, 1970), are discussed in terms of Rescorla and Wagner’s (1972) theory of conditioning and also in terms of stimulus intensity mechanisms.
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This research was supported by NRC Grant A-9588 to Douglas Reberg.
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Reberg, D., Leclerc, R. A feature positive effect in conditioned suppression. Animal Learning & Behavior 5, 143–147 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214069
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214069