| Records |
| Author |
Christensen, J.W. |
| Title |
Object habituation in horses: Voluntary vs. negatively reinforced approach to frightening stimuli |
Type |
Conference Article |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the 2. International Equine Science Meeting |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 2. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg |
| Volume |
in press |
Issue  |
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Pages |
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| Keywords |
Habituation; learning; fearfulness; stress; reinforcement |
| Abstract |
The ability and ease of horses to habituate to frightening stimuli greatly increases safety in the horse-human relationship. Several different techniques have been suggested for habituation training of horses and under certain conditions, preventing animals from avoidance reactions during exposure to frightening stimuli is believed to facilitate habituation. Response prevention does, however, lead to a loss of control, which is a known stress inducer in both animals and humans. This experiment investigated whether horses show increased stress responses when negatively reinforced to approach a mildly frightening stimulus, compared to horses allowed to voluntarily explore the same stimulus. We further investigated whether the prevention of avoidance responses in horses that are negatively reinforced to approach the stimulus, facilitates habituation to the stimulus. Twenty-two 2-3 years old Danish warmblood geldings were included in the study. Half of the horses (NR group) were negatively reinforced (through halter and rope pressure) by a familiar human handler to approach a collection of frightening objects (six open and colourful umbrellas) placed in a semi-circle in a familiar test arena. The other half of the horses were released in the arena and were free to avoid or explore the objects (VOL group). On the next day, all horses were exposed to the objects again without a human to investigate the rate of habituation. Behavioural and heart rate responses were recorded on both days. Data were analysed in a two way repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc analysed via the Holm-Sidak method. In the VOL group, all horses initially chose to avoid the unknown objects, whereas the handler managed to get all horses in the NR group to approach and stand next to the objects within the first 2-min session. As expected, horses in the NR group had a significantly longer duration of alertness (sec, mean ± se: NR: 23 ± 4.1 vs. VOL: 16 ± 4.7, P=0.026) and a higher max HR in the first session (bpm, mean ± se: NR: 106 ± 5.2 vs. VOL: 88 ± 4.4, P=0.004). On the next day, however, the NR horses spent significantly less time investigating the objects (sec, mean ± se: NR: 13 ± 4.1 vs. VOL: 24 ± 6.0, P=0.005) and had a shorter latency to approach a feed container, placed next to the objects (sec, mean ± se: NR: 25 ± 3.9 vs. VOL: 47 ± 16.2, P=0.031), indicating increased habituation. In conclusion, negatively reinforced approach to mildly frightening objects appears to increase stress responses during the initial exposure, but also to facilitate habituation in young horses. |
| Address |
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| Corporate Author |
Christensen, J.W. |
Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Xenophon Publishing |
Place of Publication |
Wald |
Editor |
Krueger, K. |
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| ISSN |
978-3-9808134-26 |
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no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5499 |
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| Author |
Fenner, K.; Freire, R.; McLean, A.; McGreevy, P. |
| Title |
Behavioral, demographic and management influences on equine responses to negative reinforcement |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2018 |
Publication |
Journal of Veterinary Behavior |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
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| Keywords |
Learning; horse management; training; temperament; negative reinforcement |
| Abstract |
Understanding the factors that influence horse learning is critical to ensure horse welfare and rider safety. In this study, data were obtained from horses (n=96) training to step backwards through a corridor in response to bit pressure. Following training, learning ability was determined by the latency to step backwards through the corridor when handled on the left and right reins. Additionally, horse owners were questioned about each horse's management, training, behavior and signalment (such as horse breed, age and sex). Factors from these four broad domains were examined using a multiple logistic regression (MLR) model, following an Information Theoretic approach, for associations between horses' behavioral attributes and their ability to learn the task. The MLR also included estimates of the rider's ability and experience as well as owner's perceptions of their horse's trainability and temperament. Results revealed several variables including explanatory variables that correlated significantly with rate of learning. Horses were faster at backing, a behavioral trait, when handled on the right (t = 3.65, df = 94, P < 0.001) than the left side. Thoroughbred horses were slower at completing the tests than other breeds of horses when handled on the left side (LM, F1,48=4.5, P=0.04) and right side (LM, F1,45=6.0, P=0.02). Those in regular work, a training factor, did not learn faster than their unworked counterparts on the right rein but completed the task faster on the left rein (F1,44=5.47, P=0.02). This may reflect differences in laterality and habituation effects. In contrast, more anxious horses were faster at completing the test when handled from the right (Spearman, r=-0.22, P=0.04). It is possible that these horses have an increased arousal level when interacting with handlers, resulting in more engagement with the lesson, accounting for the improved performance results. The findings of this study will help clarify how horse behavior, training and management may influence learning and how their application may optimize learning outcomes. Future equine behavior assessment and research questionnaires should include items that assess these qualities. |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1558-7878 |
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no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6400 |
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| Author |
McLean, A.N.; Christensen, J.W. |
| Title |
The application of learning theory in horse training |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2017 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
190 |
Issue |
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Pages |
18-27 |
| Keywords |
Behaviour; Conflict theory; Desensitisation; Habituation; Reinforcement; Stress |
| Abstract |
The millennia-old practices of horse training markedly predate and thus were isolated from the mid-twentieth century revelation of animal learning processes. From this standpoint, the progress made in the application and understanding of learning theory in horse training is reviewed including a discussion of how learning processes are employed or otherwise under-utilised in training. This review describes the process of habituation and the most commonly applied desensitisation techniques (systematic desensitisation, counter-conditioning, overshadowing, response prevention) and propose two additional techniques (approach conditioning and stimulus blending). The salience of different types of cues, the interaction of operant and classical conditioning and the impact of stress are also discussed. This paper also exposes the inflexibility and occasional inadequacy of the terminology of learning theory when translated from the research laboratory situation to the practical setting in horse training. While learning theory provides a rich toolbox for riders and trainers, the training process is subject to the simultaneous use of multiple learning processes. In addition, learning/behavioural outcomes and trained responses are not just the result of simple stimulus-response based interactions but are further shaped by arousal, affective and attachment states. More research is needed in these areas. For the field of equitation science to progress and to improve clarity and use of learning processes, changes in nomenclature are required. In particular, the use of the terms 'positive' and 'negative' as descriptive labels in both reinforcement and punishment modalities are unacceptably misleading for everyday use. These labels inhibit the understanding and recognition of the learning processes that these terms supposedly represent, yet the learning processes they describe are vital for horse riders, handlers and trainers to understand. We therefore propose that these labels should be re-labelled more appropriately as 'addition' or 'subtraction' reinforcement/punishment. This would enlighten trainers on the correct application of learning theory, and safety and welfare benefits for people and horses would follow. Finally it is also proposed that the term 'conflict theory' be taken up in equitation science to facilitate diagnosis of training-related behaviour disorders and thus enable the emergence of improved training practices. The optimal use of learning theory should be established as a fundamental principle in equestrian education. |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0168-1591 |
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Approved |
no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6597 |
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| Author |
Nicol, C.J. |
| Title |
Development, direction, and damage limitation: social learning in domestic fowl |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Learning & behavior : a Psychonomic Society publication |
Abbreviated Journal |
Learn Behav |
| Volume |
32 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
72-81 |
| Keywords |
Adaptation, Psychological; Age Factors; Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Chickens; *Feeding Behavior; *Food Preferences; *Imitative Behavior; Imprinting (Psychology); *Learning; Maternal Behavior; Reinforcement (Psychology); *Social Environment; *Social Facilitation |
| Abstract |
This review highlights two areas of particular interest in the study of social learning in fowl. First, the role of social learning in the development of feeding and foraging behavior in young chicks and older birds is described. The role of the hen as a demonstrator and possible teacher is considered, and the subsequent social influence of brood mates and other companions on food avoidance and food preference learning is discussed. Second, the way in which work on domestic fowl has contributed to an understanding of the importance of directed social learning is examined. The well-characterized hierarchical social organization of small chicken flocks has been used to design studies which demonstrate that the probability of social transmission is strongly influenced by social relationships between birds. The practical implications of understanding the role of social learning in the spread of injurious behaviors in this economically important species are briefly considered. |
| Address |
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol, England. c.j.nicol@bristol.ac.uk |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1543-4494 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:15161142 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
75 |
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| Author |
Zentall, T.R.; Weaver, J.E.; Clement, T.S. |
| Title |
Pigeons group time intervals according to their relative duration |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Psychonomic bulletin & review |
Abbreviated Journal |
Psychon Bull Rev |
| Volume |
11 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
113-117 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Columbidae; *Discrimination (Psychology); Reinforcement (Psychology); Time Factors; Time Perception |
| Abstract |
In the present research, we asked whether pigeons tended to judge time intervals not only in terms of their absolute value but also relative to a duration from which they must be discriminated (i.e., longer or shorter). Pigeons were trained on two independent temporal discriminations. In one discrimination, sample durations of 2 and 8 sec were associated with, for example, red and green hue comparisons, respectively, and in the other discrimination, sample durations of 4 and 16 sec were associated with vertical and horizontal line comparisons, respectively. If pigeons are trained on a temporal discrimination and tested with intermediate durations, the subjective midpoint typically occurs close to the geometric mean of the two trained values. The 4- and 8-sec values were selected to be the geometric mean of the two values in the other discrimination. When a 4-sec test sample was presented with the comparisons from the 2- and 8-sec discrimination, the pigeons preferred the comparison associated with the shorter sample. Similarly, when an 8-sec test sample was presented with the comparisons from the 4- and 16-sec discrimination, the pigeons preferred the comparison associated with the longer sample. Thus, a relative grouping effect was found. That is, durations that should have produced indifferent choice were influenced by their relative durations (shorter than or longer than the alternative) during training. |
| Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0044, USA. zentall@pop.uky.edu |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1069-9384 |
ISBN |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:15116995 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
231 |
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| Author |
Clement, T.S.; Zentall, T.R. |
| Title |
Second-order contrast based on the expectation of effort and reinforcement |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
| Volume |
28 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
64-74 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Columbidae; Discrimination Learning; Random Allocation; *Reinforcement (Psychology) |
| Abstract |
Pigeons prefer signals for reinforcement that require greater effort (or time) to obtain over those that require less effort to obtain (T. S. Clement, J. Feltus, D. H. Kaiser, & T. R. Zentall, 2000). Preference was attributed to contrast (or to the relatively greater improvement in conditions) produced by the appearance of the signal when it was preceded by greater effort. In Experiment 1, the authors of the present study demonstrated that the expectation of greater effort was sufficient to produce such a preference (a second-order contrast effect). In Experiments 2 and 3, low versus high probability of reinforcement was substituted for high versus low effort, respectively, with similar results. In Experiment 3, the authors found that the stimulus preference could be attributed to positive contrast (when the discriminative stimuli represented an improvement in the probability of reinforcement) and perhaps also negative contrast (when the discriminative stimuli represented reduction in the probability of reinforcement). |
| Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0044, USA |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0097-7403 |
ISBN |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:11868235 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
241 |
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| Author |
Zentall, T.R.; Clement, T.S. |
| Title |
Memory mechanisms in pigeons: evidence of base-rate neglect |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
| Volume |
28 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
111-115 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Columbidae; Discrimination Learning; Memory/*physiology; Random Allocation; Reaction Time; Reinforcement (Psychology); Retention (Psychology) |
| Abstract |
In delayed matching to sample, once acquired, pigeons presumably choose comparisons according to their memory for (the strength of) the sample. When memory for the sample is sufficiently weak, comparison choice should depend on the history of reinforcement associated with each of the comparison stimuli. In the present research, pigeons acquired two matching tasks in which Sample S1 was associated with one comparison from each task, C1 and C3, whereas Sample S2 was associated with Comparison C2, and Sample S3 was associated with Comparison C4. As the retention interval increased, the pigeons showed a bias to choose the comparison (C1 or C3) associated with the more frequently occurring sample (S1). Thus, pigeons were sensitive also to the (irrelevant) likelihood that each of the samples was presented. The results suggest that pigeons may allow their reference memory for the overall sample frequency to influence comparison choice, independent of the comparison stimuli present. |
| Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0044, USA. zentall@pop.uky.edu |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Edition |
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0097-7403 |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:11868229 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
242 |
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| Author |
Dorrance, B.R.; Zentall, T.R. |
| Title |
Imitative learning in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) depends on the motivational state of the observer quail at the time of observation |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2001 |
Publication |
Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
| Volume |
115 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
62-67 |
| Keywords |
Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Coturnix; Female; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Male; *Motivation; Reinforcement (Psychology); Time Factors |
| Abstract |
The 2-action method was used to examine whether imitative learning in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) depends on the motivational state of the observer quail at the time of observation of the demonstrated behavior. Two groups of observers were fed before observation (satiated groups), whereas 2 other groups of observers were deprived of food before observation (hungry groups). Quail were tested either immediately following observation or after a 30-min delay. Results indicated that quail in the hungry groups imitated, whereas those in the satiated groups did not, regardless of whether their test was immediate or delayed. The results suggest that observer quail may not learn (through observation) behavior that leads to a reinforcer for which they are unmotivated at the time of test. In addition, the results show that quail are able to delay the performance of a response acquired through observation (i.e., they show deferred imitation). |
| Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506-0044, USA |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0735-7036 |
ISBN |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:11334220 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
245 |
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| Author |
Clement, T.S.; Feltus, J.R.; Kaiser, D.H.; Zentall, T.R. |
| Title |
“Work ethic” in pigeons: reward value is directly related to the effort or time required to obtain the reward |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2000 |
Publication |
Psychonomic bulletin & review |
Abbreviated Journal |
Psychon Bull Rev |
| Volume |
7 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
100-106 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; Cognition/physiology; Columbidae; Discrimination Learning/physiology; Female; Male; Reinforcement (Psychology); *Reward; Time Factors |
| Abstract |
Stimuli associated with less effort or with shorter delays to reinforcement are generally preferred over those associated with greater effort or longer delays to reinforcement. However, the opposite appears to be true of stimuli that follow greater effort or longer delays. In training, a simple simultaneous discrimination followed a single peck to an initial stimulus (S+FR1 S-FR1) and a different simple simultaneous discrimination followed 20 pecks to the initial stimulus (S+FR20 S-FR20). On test trials, pigeons preferred S+FR20 over S+FR1 and S-FR20 over S-FR1. These data support the view that the state of the animal immediately prior to presentation of the discrimination affects the value of the reinforcement that follows it. This contrast effect is analogous to effects that when they occur in humans have been attributed to more complex cognitive and social factors. |
| Address |
University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA |
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English |
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Edition |
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1069-9384 |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
PMID:10780022 |
Approved |
no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
248 |
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| Author |
Urcuioli, P.J.; DeMarse, T.B.; Zentall, T.R. |
| Title |
Transfer across delayed discriminations: II. Differences in the substitutability of initial versus test stimuli |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1998 |
Publication |
Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
| Volume |
24 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
47-59 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal; Columbidae/physiology; Discrimination Learning/*physiology; Pattern Recognition, Visual/*physiology; Reinforcement (Psychology); Retention (Psychology)/physiology |
| Abstract |
In 2 experiments, pigeons were trained on, and then transferred to, delayed simple discriminations in which the initial stimuli signalled reinforcement versus extinction following a retention interval. Experiment 1 showed that discriminative responding on the retention test transferred to novel test stimuli that had appeared in another delayed simple discrimination but not to stimuli having the same reinforcement history off-baseline. By contrast, Experiment 2 showed that performances transferred to novel initial stimuli whether they had been trained on-baseline or off-baseline. These results suggest that the test stimuli in delayed simple discriminations acquire control over responding only in the memory task itself. On the other hand, control by the initial stimuli, if coded as outcome expectancies, does not require such task-specific training. |
| Address |
Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1364, USA. uche@psych.purdue.edu |
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English |
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0097-7403 |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
PMID:9438965 |
Approved |
no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
253 |
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