Abstract
In an attempt to resolve conflicting data concerning the conditioned-stimulus properties of the 40-kHz signal generated by the ultrasonic motion detector, the high-frequency signal (96-112 dB) was used as the CS in a CER experiment. Rats receiving forward pairings of the tone with shock showed progressive decreases in activity in the presence of the tone as compared to controls during off-the-baseline conditioning sessions. During the CER test session, the forward-pairings group showed reliably more suppression to the high-frequency CS. It was concluded that the ultrasonic motion detector can mediate associative response tendencies.
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This research was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grants MH 11735-05 and MH 23607-02 to Judson S. Brown. The author wishes to thank D. C. Anderson and C. R. Crowell for their advice and assistance and especially J. S. Brown, who also sponsors this paper. M. Meikle of the Kresge Hearing Research Laboratory, University of Oregon Medical School, is also thanked for her assistance in calibrating the ultrasonic tone.
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Cunningham, C.L. The ultrasonic motion detector: A conditioned stimulus for rats in the CER paradigm. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 4, 441–444 (1974). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336748
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336748