Olfactory Sensitivity in the Domestic Pigeon

1957 ◽  
Vol 188 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen D. Calvin ◽  
Clarence M. Williams ◽  
Nelson Westmoreland
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Electric Shock ◽  
Instrumental Conditioning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Olfactory Sensitivity ◽  
Conditioning Procedure ◽  
Domestic Pigeon

Olfactory sensitivity in the domestic pigeon was investigated using an instrumental conditioning procedure. The pigeons were trained to move from one section of a compartment to another by using light and odor paired together as the conditioned stimulus with electric shock acting as the unconditioned stimulus. After the pigeons had learned to cross from one section to the other at the presentation of the light and odor together, the light was removed and only the odor presented. The pigeons were unable to learn to use odor acting alone as a cue; thus these findings gave no indication of highly developed olfactory sensitivity in the domestic pigeon.

Differential Acquisition, Extinction, and Reinstatement of Conditioned Suppression in Mice

2007 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 1313-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trinette Dirikx ◽  
Tom Beckers ◽  
Clara Muyls ◽  
Paul Eelen ◽  
Debora Vansteenwegen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Conditioned Suppression ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Selective Suppression ◽  
Differential Acquisition ◽  
Group A ◽  
Conditioned Responding

In animals, the reappearance of conditioned fear responses after extinction has been primarily investigated using single-cue conditioning paradigms. However, a differential paradigm can overcome several of the disadvantages associated with a single-cue procedure. In the present study, the reinstatement phenomenon was assessed in mice using a differential conditioned suppression paradigm. In a first phase, one conditioned stimulus (CS +) was consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US; footshock) while another CS (CS–) was not, resulting in selective suppression of previously trained instrumental behaviour during the CS +. After the extinction phase, half of the animals (reinstatement group) were presented with unsignalled USs, while the other half were not (control group). A differential return of conditioned responding was observed in the reinstatement group, but not in the control group. The implications of these findings for future conditioning research are discussed.

scholarly journals Evaluative conditioning of artificial grammars: Evidence that subjectively-unconscious structures bias affective evaluations of novel stimuli

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Răzvan Jurchiș ◽  
Andrei Costea ◽  
Zoltan Dienes ◽  
Mircea Miclea ◽  
Adrian Opre
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Neutral Stimulus ◽  
Evaluative Conditioning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Affective Valence ◽  
Subjective Awareness ◽  
Artificial Grammars

Evaluative conditioning (EC) refers to the acquisition of emotional valence by an initially-neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus; CS), after being paired with an emotional stimulus (unconditioned stimulus; US). An important issue regards whether, when participants are unaware of the CS-US contingency, the affective valence can generalize to new stimuli that share similarities with the CS. Previous studies have shown that generalization of EC effects appears only when participants are aware of the contingencies, but we suggest that this is because (a) the contingencies typically used in these studies are salient and easy to detect consciously, and (b) the performance-based measures of awareness (so-called “objective measures”), typically used in these studies, tend to overestimate the amount of available conscious knowledge. We report a preregistered study in which participants (N = 217) were exposed to letter strings generated from two complex artificial grammars that are difficult to decipher consciously. Stimuli from one grammar were paired with positive USs, while those from the other grammar were paired with negative USs. Subsequently, participants evaluated new, previously-unseen, stimuli from the positively-conditioned grammar more positively than new stimuli from the negatively-conditioned grammar. Importantly, this effect appeared even when trial-by-trial subjective measures indicated lack of relevant conscious knowledge. We provide evidence for the generalization of EC effects even without subjective awareness of the structures that enable those generalizations.

Locus of the Effect of a Surprising Reinforcer in the Attenuation of Blocking

1977 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Mackintosh ◽  
D. J. Bygrave ◽  
B. M. B. Picton
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Conditioned Suppression ◽  
The Other ◽  
Compound Trial ◽  
Redundant Stimulus ◽  
Compound Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Effective Reinforcer

Previous experiments on conditioned suppression in rats have shown that prior conditioning to one element of a compound conditioned stimulus paired with shock may block or prevent conditioning to the other element. Reliable conditioning may, however, occur to the added element (blocking may be attenuated), if a surprising second shock is added shortly after each compound trial. Experiment I confirmed this finding, and further showed that blocking was attenuated only when the second shock occurred 10 s after the compound trial, not when it occurred 100 s later. Experiment II showed that the surprising omission of an expected second shock 10 s after each compound trial would also attenuate blocking, thus implying that the surprising event does not itself act to reinforce conditioning to the added element, but rather permits the unconditioned stimulus (the first shock) to play its normal role as an effective reinforcer. This conclusion was confirmed by Experiment III, which showed that a surprising second shock does not produce any increase in conditioning to the added element on the trial on which it occurs; rather it serves to ensure adequate conditioning to that element on a subsequent compound trial. The implication is that the surprising event acts proactively to prevent subjects learning to ignore an otherwise redundant stimulus.

Unpredictability and Context Conditioning: Does the Nature of the US Matter?

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Meulders ◽  
Yannick Boddez ◽  
Debora Vansteenwegen ◽  
Frank Baeyens
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Conditioned Suppression ◽  
The Other ◽  
Context Conditioning ◽  
The Us ◽  
Paired Condition

AbstractUsing a conditioned suppression task, we examined the minimal conditions to establish context conditioning as induced by unpredictability of an unconditioned stimulus (US). We investigated whether a biologically significant US is necessary to produce such context conditioning effects. In this between-subjects experiment, we manipulated the nature of the US and US-unpredictability. In the Paired condition, the conditioned stimulus (CS) was always followed by the US, whereas in the Unpaired condition, the CS and the US were presented explicitly unpaired, that is, the CS was never followed by the US. Half of the participants received an aversive, biologically significant human scream, and the other half received a more neutral, biologically non-significant sound as US. Results show more contextual suppression in the Unpaired condition than in the Paired condition. We conclude that in an expectancy-based conditioning task, US-unpredictability, but not a biologically potent US, is crucial to establish context conditioning.

scholarly journals Progesterone after Estradiol Modulates Shuttle-Cage Escape by Facilitating Volition

2015 ◽  
Vol 9s1 ◽  
pp. JEN.S32735
Author(s):  
Darryl J. Mayeaux ◽  
Sarah M. Tandle ◽  
Sean M. Cilano ◽  
Matthew J. Fitzharris
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Electric Shock ◽  
Ovarian Hormones ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Animal Models Of Depression ◽  
Escape Learning

In animal models of depression, depression is defined as performance on a learning task. That task is typically escaping a mild electric shock in a shuttle cage by moving from one side of the cage to the other. Ovarian hormones influence learning in other kinds of tasks, and these hormones are associated with depressive symptoms in humans. The role of these hormones in shuttle-cage escape learning, however, is less clear. This study manipulated estradiol and progesterone in ovariectomized female rats to examine their performance in shuttle-cage escape learning without intentionally inducing a depressive-like state. Progesterone, not estradiol, within four hours of testing affected latencies to escape. The improvement produced by progesterone was in the decision to act, not in the speed of learning or speed of escaping. This parallels depression in humans in that depressed people are slower in volition, in their decisions to take action.

scholarly journals Bilateral Femoral Neck Fracture due to Electric Shock

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-20
Author(s):  
Rahul Peswani ◽  
BL Chandrakar ◽  
Rakesh Thakkar
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Femoral Neck ◽  
Femoral Neck Fracture ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Electric Shock ◽  
Bone Disease ◽  
Late Presentation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pathological Conditions ◽  
Neck Fracture

ABSTRACT Simultaneous bilateral fractures of the femoral neck are rare injuries in patients without underlying pathological conditions. We report a case of a 50-year-old male, who sustained bilateral femoral neck injury resulting from electric shock with 440 V of direct current. Bilateral femoral neck fracture is rare. Bilateral femoral neck fracture due to electric shock is even rarer. This case report highlights bilateral femoral neck fracture without primary and secondary bone disease. Late presentation and unclassified pattern of fracture are the other features. How to cite this article Peswani R, Chandrakar BL, Thakkar R. Bilateral Femoral Neck Fracture due to Electric Shock. J Med Sci 2016;2(1):18-20.

scholarly journals Sleep and conditioning of the siphon withdrawal reflex in Aplysia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin I. Thiede ◽  
Jan Born ◽  
Albrecht P. A. Vorster
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Tactile Stimulus ◽  
Aplysia Californica ◽  
Extinction Training ◽  
Reflex Response ◽  
Conditioning Procedure ◽  
Withdrawal Reflex ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Classical Conditioning Procedure

Sleep is essential for memory consolidation after learning as shown in mammals and invertebrates such as bees and flies. Aplysia californica displays sleep and sleep in this mollusk was also found to support memory for an operant conditioning task. Here, we investigated whether sleep in Aplysia is also required for memory consolidation in a simpler type of learning, i.e., the conditioning of the siphon withdrawal reflex. Two groups of animals (Wake, Sleep, each n=11) were conditioned on the siphon withdrawal reflex with the training following a classical conditioning procedure where an electrical tail shock served as unconditioned stimulus (US) and a tactile stimulus to the siphon as conditioned stimulus (CS). Responses to the CS were tested before (Pre-test), 24 and 48 hours after training. While Wake animals remained awake for 6 hours after training, Sleep animals had undisturbed sleep. The 24h-test in both groups was combined with extinction training, i.e., the extended presentation of the CS alone over two blocks. At the 24h-test, siphon withdrawal durations to the CS were distinctly enhanced in both Sleep and Wake groups with no significant difference between groups, consistent with the view that consolidation of a simple conditioned reflex response does not require post-training sleep. Surprisingly, extinction training did not reverse the enhancement of responses to the CS. On the contrary, at the 48h-test, withdrawal durations to the CS were even further enhanced across both groups. This suggests that processes of sensitization, an even simpler non-associative type of learning, contributed to the withdrawal responses. Our study provides evidence for the hypothesis that sleep preferentially benefits consolidation of more complex learning paradigms than conditioning of simple reflexes.

scholarly journals No Evaluative Conditioning Effects with Briefly Presented Stimuli

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Heycke ◽  
Christoph Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Neutral Stimulus ◽  
Evaluative Conditioning ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Contingency Awareness ◽  
The Us

Evaluative Conditioning (EC) changes the preference towards a formerly neutral stimulus (Conditioned Stimulus; CS), by pairing it with a valent stimulus (Unconditioned Stimulus; US), in the direction of the valence of the US. When the CS is presented subliminally (i.e., too briefly to be consciously perceived), contingency awareness between CS and US can be ruled out. Hence, EC effects with subliminal CSs would support theories claiming that contingency awareness is not necessary for EC effects to occur. Recent studies reported the absence of EC with briefly presented CSs when both CS and US were presented in the visual modality, even though the CSs were identified at above-chance levels. Challenging this finding, Heycke and colleagues (2017) found some evidence for an EC effect with briefly presented visual stimuli in a cross-modal paradigm with auditory USs, but that study did not assess CS visibility. The present study attempted to replicate this EC effect with different stimuli and a CS visibility check. Overall EC for briefly presented stimuli was absent, and results from the visibility check show that an EC effect with briefly presented CSs was only found, when the CSs were identified at above-chance levels.

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