Stimulus selection in eyelid conditioning in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Abstract

A "visual" stimulus (V), either flashes or electrical stimulation of the optic chiasma, was reinforced in compound with a differentially reinforced (CS+) or nonreinforced (OS-) nonvisual stimulus. Visual stimulus control of conditioned eyeblink activity was acquired if V was reinforced in compound with CS-but was "blocked" when reinforced in compound with CS+. Both effects were demonstrable within subjects and were independent of the method of visual stimulation. Extinction and backward conditioning of chiasmio stimulation preceded retraining of 6 subjects. The establishment and blocking of visual stimulus control were again evident within subjects. The data were interpretable in terms of either attentional or associative theory.

Blocking in rabbit eyeblink conditioning is not due to learned inattention: Indirect support for an error correction mechanism of blocking

“…Overall, the results from this blocking experiment were as expected from previous rabbit eyeblink conditioning blocking experiments (Marchant & Moore, 1973;Kinkaide, 1974;Solomon, 1977;Kim et al, 1998). Rabbits in the blocking conditioning that had been trained to the tone followed by training to the tone-light compound exhibited significantly fewer conditioned responses to the light test trials than did controls that were only trained to the tone-light compound.…”

“…For a complete review of this behavioral literature, see Gormezano et al (1983). Many researchers have demonstrated this blocking phenomenon in classical eyeblink conditioning in rabbits (Marchant and Moore, 1973;Kinkaide, 1974;Solomon, 1977;Kim Krupa & Thompson, 1998) as well as humans (Martin & Levey, 1991).…”

Selective hippocampal lesions disrupt a novel cue effect but fail to eliminate blocking in rabbit eyeblink conditioning

“…Blocking has had a long history in eyeblink conditioning (Kim et al, 1998;Kinkaide, 1974;Marchant & Moore, 1973;Solomon, 1977). Recent work has focused on the error correction mechanism Kim et al, 1998), but earlier blocking experiments in eyeblink conditioningfocused on a hippocampal mechanism that involves inattention or inhibition (Solomon, 1977).…”

Specific and nonspecific changes in visual evoked potentials during eyelid conditioning in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

“…The apparatus and the surgical and recording procedures have been described elsewhere (Kinkaide, 1974;Kinkaide & Walley, 1974) and are only summarized here. Departures from these earlier studies are described in detail.…”

“…Eighteen female New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), weighing 2.5-3.5 kg, were used. Bipolar stainless steel electrodes were implanted in the optic chiasma and the left visual cortex as described by Kinkaide (1974). In addition, a pair of stainless steel electrodes were implanted in the left dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, one electrode positioned 4.5-5 mm posterior to bregma and 6-6.5 mm lateral (Sawyer, Everett, & Green, 1954) and the second electrode being approximately 2 mm medial to the first.…”