Classical conditioning of the rabbit's (Oryctolagus cuniculus) nictitating membrane response with fluctuation ISI and intracranial CS.

Abstract

Utilizing electrical stimulation of the inferior colliculus as the CS, comparisons of conditioning under fixed and variable interstimulus intervals (ISI) conditions in male and female albino rabbits showed that: (a) CR frequency was unaffected by ISI variability, (b) fixed ISI group CR latency standard deviations were smaller than varying, and (c) all CR peak latencies were approximately 100 msec. longer than CR onset latencies. The ICS was found to reduce the minimal ISI for conditioning to 50 msec. Results partially support Hullian molar stimulus trace notions and suggest that the ICS utilized produced weak neural aftereffects. The Hullian notion of conditioning through CS-UCS contiguity rather than CR-UCS contiguity or response shaping is supported. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)