Two-cue discrimination learning in rats.

Abstract

One hundred forty-three rats, trained on a Lashley jumping stand to discriminate between stimuli containing 2 relevant cues, were given transfer tests to assess differentially the single cues. The more individual Ss[Subjects] learned about 1 cue, the less they learned about the other. Ss continued to learn about the weaker cue at a time when performance was practically asymptotic on the stronger cue. After training on 2 cues, performance with both cues present was better than performance on either of the single cues alone. Ss pretrained on a successive discrimination with 1 cue relevant learned relatively more about that cue in subsequent 2-cue discrimination training. Results are discussed in terms of a 2-process model of learning.