Contextual blocking in rats

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Alba E. Mustaca
Santiago Pellegrini

Abstract

The hypothesis of functional equivalence between discrete stimuli (present only during part of the total time of a conditioning trial) and contextual stimuli (present along the complete trial) was contrasted using Kamin's (1969) blocking procedure. We used only contextual stimuli, rats as subjects and solid food as reinforcer. Blocking consists in a disminution of conditioning of an element B from a compound AB, when element A has been previously paired with the unconditioned stimulus. In Exp. 1 we trained animals in a diferential conditioning using contextual stimuli, and a group of behaviors as dependent measure. Subjects learned to discriminate contexts and ambulation showed to be a valid measure of contextual conditioning. In Exp. 2 we used a blocking procedure and a diferential conditioning simultaneously . Negative context was built of all elements common to contexts A and B. Animals showed a significant blocking effect. These results support the hypothesis which holds that the mechanisms responsible for the processing of both kinds of stimuli are similar.

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How to Cite
Mustaca, A. E., & Pellegrini, S. (2011). Contextual blocking in rats. Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 22(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.5514/rmac.v22.i1.23490