Abstract
The role of temporal factors in the development of conditioned inhibition was investigated in a backward conditioning design. Separate groups of rats received tone CSs either 3 or 30 sec following shock presentations. The CSs predicted the same shock-free interval for both groups. A third group was presented with a random relationship between CS and shock. The CSs were tested by super-imposition on a Sidman avoidance baseline and only the group with a 3-sec UCS-CS interval revealed an inhibitory effect of the CS. These results are in accord with predictions made by the Solomon-Corbit model of acquired motivation and by Denny’s “relaxation” theory of escape and avoidance.
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This research was supported by Grant MH26827-01 to the first author from the National Institute of Mental Health.
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Maier, S.F., Rapaport, P. & Wheatley, K.L. Conditioned inhibition and the UCS-CS interval. Animal Learning & Behavior 4, 217–220 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214039
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214039