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The Effect of the Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) on the Subsequent Acquisition of a Temporal Discrimination

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Date Issued:
1969
Summary:
Twenty 100 day old male rats were trained to behavioral criterion in a CER paradigm. Two shock levels (.1 and .2 ma) were employed to establish these criteria. Half of the Ss reached medium suppression (suppression ratios between .39 and .11) of a bar pressing response; half achieved high suppression (suppression ratios less than .10). The animals were subsequently exposed to 15 daily sessions of FI training utilizing a head, panel pressing response for food. Five of the medium suppression group and five of the high suppression group were exposed to the conditioned suppression CS (a light) during the FI acquisition periods . The remaining rats underwent FI training in the absence of the CS. An Index of Curvature was employed to measure each FI period record and to indicate the degree of acquisition of FI scalloping. Analysis of variance for the four groups revealed only the progression over days to be a significant source of variation. Analysis of linear trend indicated a strong linearity in the variance over 15 days for all groups, but revealed no clear differences between the groups. Some tendencies indicate a slight superiority in acquisition by the medium suppression group which was exposed to the CS during FI training. The high suppression group which was exposed to the light was noticeably inferior in FI discrimination. These results possibly demonstrate an "arousal- interference" mechanism for the CER, but the data do not support the conclusion that the conditioned suppression signal (CS) has a differential effect on subsequent acquisition of an unrelated temporal discrimination. A history of shook treatment, or of CER training, may be responsible, however, for the overall poor acquisition of FI scalloping that was demonstrated by all four groups in this study.
Title: The Effect of the Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) on the Subsequent Acquisition of a Temporal Discrimination.
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Name(s): McNeely, Joseph J., author
Otten, Cynthia S., Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 1969
Date Issued: 1969
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 86 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Twenty 100 day old male rats were trained to behavioral criterion in a CER paradigm. Two shock levels (.1 and .2 ma) were employed to establish these criteria. Half of the Ss reached medium suppression (suppression ratios between .39 and .11) of a bar pressing response; half achieved high suppression (suppression ratios less than .10). The animals were subsequently exposed to 15 daily sessions of FI training utilizing a head, panel pressing response for food. Five of the medium suppression group and five of the high suppression group were exposed to the conditioned suppression CS (a light) during the FI acquisition periods . The remaining rats underwent FI training in the absence of the CS. An Index of Curvature was employed to measure each FI period record and to indicate the degree of acquisition of FI scalloping. Analysis of variance for the four groups revealed only the progression over days to be a significant source of variation. Analysis of linear trend indicated a strong linearity in the variance over 15 days for all groups, but revealed no clear differences between the groups. Some tendencies indicate a slight superiority in acquisition by the medium suppression group which was exposed to the CS during FI training. The high suppression group which was exposed to the light was noticeably inferior in FI discrimination. These results possibly demonstrate an "arousal- interference" mechanism for the CER, but the data do not support the conclusion that the conditioned suppression signal (CS) has a differential effect on subsequent acquisition of an unrelated temporal discrimination. A history of shook treatment, or of CER training, may be responsible, however, for the overall poor acquisition of FI scalloping that was demonstrated by all four groups in this study.
Identifier: FA00000799 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1969.
Subject(s): Emotional conditioning
Discrimination learning
Learning, Psychology of
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Sublocation: Digital Library
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.