Food as a Discriminative Stimulus

1977 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-794
Author(s):  
Ralph W. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Training ◽  
Discriminative Stimulus ◽  
Generalization Gradient ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Generalization Test ◽  
Discriminative Control ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Access To Food

Three pigeons were trained on a “go-no go” discrimination task in which positive trials were preceded by 1.5-sec. access to food and negative trials were preceded by 0-sec. access to food. By the end of training pretrial access to food was exerting strong discriminative control over responding: each subject responded more than eight times more frequently during positive than negative trials. During a subsequent generalization test in which trials were preceded by various amounts of food, an orderly decremental gradient was obtained between 0- and 1.5-sec. access to food. A comparison with the gradients from three other subjects not given discrimination training showed that the training sharpened the generalization gradient between the training stimuli.

scholarly journals Blocking of Stimulus Control in Children with Autism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Skorge Olaff ◽  
Monica Vandbakk ◽  
Per Holth
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Training ◽  
Discriminative Stimulus ◽  
Stimulus Control ◽  
Applied Field ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Social Referencing ◽  
Discriminative Control ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Stimulus Compound

AbstractThe present study aimed to investigate the blocking of stimulus control in three children with autism. We used a go/no-go procedure in a standard blocking paradigm. In Phase 1, we established one of two sounds or colored squares as a discriminative stimulus for touching a tablet screen. In Phase 2, a colored square was added to the sound or a sound was added to the colored square in a stimulus compound. The discrimination training continued as in Phase 1. We subsequently tested discriminative control by each of the single stimuli separately and by the compounds. Finally, after testing with no programmed consequences, we reestablished the original discrimination and replicated the test of stimulus control. The results support previous experiments by demonstrating that the establishment of discriminative control by a second stimulus by adding it to a previously established discriminative stimulus in a compound was blocked by the earlier discrimination training in all three participants. We discuss procedural details that may be critical to avoid the blocking of stimulus control in the applied field, particularly with respect to the acquisition of skills that involve multiple stimuli, such as joint attention, social referencing, and bidirectional naming.

Some Determinants of the Peak Shift in Stimulus Generalization

1973 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie G. Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Training ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Behavioral Contrast ◽  
Generalization Test ◽  
Variable Interval ◽  
Peak Shift ◽  
Test Session ◽  
Stimulus Generalization ◽  
Physical Separation ◽  
Subsequent Discrimination

Rats were pretrained in the presence of an auditory click rate stimulus of 14 pps correlated with variable-interval or variable-ratio reinforcement. During subsequent discrimination training, the added stimulus, correlated with extinction, was 18, 36, 72, or 0 (no sound) pps. After discrimination, Ss were given a generalization test session, in extinction, in which five click rate stimuli were presented. The inverse relationship between physical separation of the discrimination training stimuli and amount of peak shift of the generalization gradient occurred regardless of the original positive reinforcement schedule during training. Behavioral contrast was not produced by all Ss. Results demonstrated no effect of separation of training stimuli on behavioral contrast and that behavioral contrast and peak shift need not covary.

Discrimination Pretraining and Sound Learning

1965 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 905-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harris Winitz ◽  
Linda Preisler
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Training ◽  
Discrimination Learning ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Automatic Programming ◽  
Group A ◽  
Sound Discrimination ◽  
Group B ◽  
Sound Learning

Sound production learning as a function of sound discrimination learning was investigated. First grade Ss who were observed to utter /skrə'b/ for /srə'b/ were assigned to two discrimination pretraining groups ( N = 15 in each group): Group A, discrimination training on /skrə'b/-/srə'b/ and Group B, discrimination training on /sliyp/-/∫liyp/. The discrimination task was taught through the use of automatic programming devices. Following discrimination training it was found that /srə'b/ was uttered correctly by two-thirds of Ss in Group A, but was uttered incorrectly by all Ss in Group B. It was concluded that sound discrimination training effectively facilitated sound production learning and that automatic sound discrimination programming appears feasible.

Discriminative stimulus, subject-rated and cardiovascular effects of cocaine alone and in combination with aripiprazole in humans

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1469-1479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua A Lile ◽  
William W Stoops ◽  
Paul EA Glaser ◽  
Lon R Hays ◽  
Craig R Rush
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Drug Discrimination ◽  
Discriminative Stimulus ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Partial Agonist ◽  
Cardiovascular Effects ◽  
Behavioral Effects ◽  
Acute Administration ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Stimulant Use

Aripiprazole is a dopamine D2 receptor partial agonist undergoing evaluation as a pharmacotherapy for stimulant-use disorders. Acutely administered aripiprazole attenuates the discriminative stimulus and other behavioral effects of d-amphetamine in humans; however, whether aripiprazole attenuates the effects of more commonly abused stimulants is unknown. The aim of this experiment was to assess the discriminative stimulus, subject-rated and cardiovascular effects of oral cocaine alone and following acute administration of aripiprazole in humans. Eight cocaine-dependent subjects learned to discriminate 150 mg cocaine from placebo. After acquiring the discrimination, the effects of cocaine (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg) administered alone and in combination with aripiprazole (15 mg) were determined. Significant effects of cocaine were observed for the drug discrimination task, stimulant-like subject-rated effects and heart rate. Limited effects of aripiprazole were revealed. However, for most measures, fewer doses of cocaine were significantly greater than placebo when combined with aripiprazole, suggesting a reduction in the discriminative stimulus, self-reported and cardiovascular effects of cocaine. These data are consistent with previous studies that have tested acutely administered aripiprazole in combination with d-amphetamine and suggest that the ability of aripiprazole to modify stimulant effects is a function of the duration of treatment (acute vs. chronic).

Transfer of Training after Fading and Standard Discrimination Training

1974 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 799-806
Author(s):  
Susan Ilene Taub ◽  
Thomas L. Whitman
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Discrimination Training ◽  
Transfer Of Training ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Dominant Dimension ◽  
Discrimination Group ◽  
Better Than

Standard discrimination and fading techniques were utilized to teach preschool children a two-choice discrimination task in which their non-dominant dimension (color or form) was relevant for solution. The fading group performed better than the standard discrimination group on both an initial and a later generalization-discrimination task. On the generalization task, the superiority of the fading technique was limited to form-dominant Ss. When retested for dimensional dominance after 1 wk. fading significantly decreased Ss' choices of their previously dominant dimensions while the standard discrimination trained Ss showed no change in preference.

scholarly journals Individual patterns of attentional exploration predict the extent of fear generalization in humans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Reutter ◽  
Matthias Gamer
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Generalization Gradient ◽  
Generalization Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Conditioning Paradigm ◽  
Attentional Deployment ◽  
Facial Stimuli ◽  
Fear Generalization ◽  
Rate Deceleration

Generalization of fear is an important mechanism contributing to the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Although previous studies have identified perceptual aspects and evaluation processes as determinants of fear generalization, it is currently unclear, to what degree overt attention might mediate its magnitude. To test the prediction that attentional preferences for diagnostic stimulus aspects reduce fear generalization, we developed a set of facial stimuli that was meticulously manipulated such that pairs of faces could be distinguished by looking into predefined diagnostic areas. These pairs were then employed as CS+ and CS− in a differential fear conditioning paradigm followed by a generalization test. Results indicated a typical quadratic fear generalization gradient in shock expectancy ratings but its shape was altered depending on individual attentional deployment. Subjects who dwelled on the distinguishing stimulus regions faster and for longer periods of time exhibited less fear generalization. Although heart rate responses also showed a generalization gradient with heart rate deceleration increasing as a function of threat, these responses were not significantly related to patterns of attentional exploration. Altogether the current results indicate that the extent of fear generalization depends on individual patterns of attentional exploration. This implies that overgeneralization of fear, as observed in patients with anxiety disorders, might be treated by perceptual trainings that aim to augment discriminability between threatening and safe situations.

scholarly journals Alcohol Seeking Under Risk of Punishment Is Associated With Activation of Cortical and Subcortical Brain Regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J. McDonald ◽  
Isis Alonso-Lozares ◽  
Vasco Rauh ◽  
Yvar van Mourik ◽  
Dustin Schetters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Discriminative Stimulus ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Higher Alcohol ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Alcohol Seeking ◽  
Motivational Conflict

In humans, stimuli associated with alcohol availability can provoke relapse during abstinence. In this study, we investigated the role of discriminative stimuli (DS) in the control of alcohol seeking in two types of behavioral tests. The first test examined the ability of an alcohol-associated DS to promote alcohol seeking (relapse) after punishment-imposed abstinence in the presence of a different DS. Following this, we tested whether the differentially associated DS can promote and suppress alcohol self-administration in a within-session discrimination task. During the within-session discrimination task, we also tested the rate of alcohol self-administration when two DS are presented in a compound. We first trained Long-Evans male rats (n = 24) to self-administer alcohol in the presence of one DS (reward-associated discriminative stimulus, rewDS) and then punished that behavior in the presence of a different DS (punishment-associated discriminative stimulus, punDS). On the test, we found that rats tested with the rewDS showed higher alcohol seeking than rats tested with the punDS. This result shows that a single Cue DS can promote alcohol seeking in a manner comparable to contexts. Subsequently, we trained 16 of these rats in a within-session trial-based discrimination task, comprised of intervening 2-min trials of rewDS, punDS, or conflict with rewDS and punDS in compound and a reduced probability of punishment. We found that alcohol self-administration is bi-directionally regulated by the rewDS and punDS. In conflict trials, alcohol self-administration was at a rate that was intermediate between the rewDS and punDS trials. In a final test, rats were presented with one of the three trial conditions and perfused for Fos immunohistochemistry. We found Fos expression was higher in the rats tested in the conflict condition in three interconnected sub-cortical brain regions. This study demonstrated the important role that alcohol-associated DS plays an important role in promoting relapse to alcohol seeking after punishment-imposed abstinence. We also implemented a within-session discrimination task that allows for the study of alcohol seeking under motivational conflict, which may be relevant for alcohol use despite negative consequences. The results from the Fos data suggest that higher alcohol seeking in approach-avoidance motivational conflict is associated with activation of sub-cortical regions but not cortical regions.

Semantic Generalization of the Conditioned Eyelid Response with Two Types of Training

1965 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 731-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorsey Johnson Novak ◽  
David A. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Test Stimulus ◽  
Test Trial ◽  
Discrimination Training ◽  
Eyelid Conditioning ◽  
Generalization Test ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Generalization Testing ◽  
Eyelid Response ◽  
Response Level ◽  
Conditioned Eyelid Response

Tests of semantic generalization to the word VASE, and phonetic generalization to the word EARN, visually presented, were carried out subsequent to discrimination Training with URN reinforced and TOP not reinforced in one group, and following straight 100% reinforcement of URN in another group (40 Ss each), using standard eyelid conditioning procedures. Generalization of extinction to the words URN and TOP was finally tested in both groups. On the semantic generalization test, half of the Ss received VASE as the first test stimulus and half received EARN. There was no evidence for semantic generalization as opposed to phonetic generalization following discrimination training, and only slight evidence for such generalization following straight conditioning that appeared on the first semantic generalization test trial only. Order of test stimuli produced more significant effects than did their nature. On the generalization of extinction tests to the words URN and TOP, the discrimination training group showed no evidence that the semantic generalization testing reduced the response level—in short, no generalization of extinction as well as no semantic generalization. The straight conditioning groups, however, did show some diminution of responding or generalization of extinction from the semantic generalization testing, and this was statistically significant.

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