Abstract
Three experiments investigated conditioning of the rabbit’s nictitating membrane response (NMR) in a second-order conditioning procedure which intermixed first-order trials (CS1-US) and second-order trials (CS2-CS1) from the outset of training. Experiment 1 provided a controlled demonstration that substantial levels of second-order conditioning can be obtained with the NMR preparation. Experiment 2 showed that the level of CR acquisition to CS2 was an inverse function of the CS2-CS1 interval over the values of 400, 800, and 2,400 msec. Experiment 3 found that CR acquisition to CS2 and CS1 in second-order conditioning varied in a parallel fashion across CS1-US intervals. Similarly, Experiment 3A found that the level of CR acquisition to the two components of a serial compound (CSA-CSB-US) varied in a parallel fashion as a function of the CSB-US interval. The results of the CS2-CS1 and CS1-US interval manipulations were all predictable from the known CS-US interval effects in NMR conditioning with a single CS. The present results are discussed with regard to their implications for accounts of serial compound conditioning and second-order conditioning.
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This research was supported by the School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, and the Australian Research Grants Committee.
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Kehoe, E.J., Feyer, AM. & Moses, J.L. Second-order conditioning of the rabbit’s nictitating membrane response as a function of the CS2-CS1 and CS1-US intervals. Animal Learning & Behavior 9, 304–315 (1981). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197836
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197836