Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Response-Contingent And Response-Independent Autoshaping Trials In Rats, Jenna E. Gaskins

Theses and Dissertations

Autoshaping is a procedure, combining both operant conditioning and classical conditioning, used in animal training to jump-start a target behavior. Lepper and Petursdottir (2017) found that response-contingent pairings (RCP) were more effective than responseindependent pairings (RIP) in producing vocalizations in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). RIP procedures entail a time-based intertrial interval (ITI) followed by the beginning of a trial, whereas RCP procedures include a response initiation period between the ITI and the trial. The current study compared RCP and RIP procedures to determine which one was more effective for acquisition of nose poking in rats. Number of days …

Development Of An Avian Model For Identifying Individual Differences In Drug Vulnerability, Beth A. Rice

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The attribution of incentive salience to cues that become associated with drugs of abuse is a critical characteristic of individuals who may be vulnerable to drug addiction. Rodents with the propensity to sign track are thought to be vulnerable to drug abuse. The goal of the current work was to investigate whether sign trackers (STs) would acquire cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) to a discrete cue using an avian species. In Experiment 1, sign and goal trackers (GTs) were first identified using a one third rank order split. Following identification, cocaine-CPP was conducted with a discrete cue in each end …

The Development Of S+ And S- Rules In Matching-To-Sample By Pigeons Through Prior Autoshaping, Mark S. Innocenti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to develop behavior by the pigeon illustrative of S+ and S- rules and to examine if behavior consistent with a concept rule interpretation developed. In order to examine this possibility six groups of pigeons (N=31) were provided different histories of autoshaping. Histories involved the identity of the color of the lighted center key and one side key of three horizontally mounted pigeon keys. Center key onset was followed three seconds later by onset of either outer key. Outer key onset was followed six seconds later by food presentation (explicitly paired) or 45 seconds later, …

Magazine Training Trials And Context Effects On Autoshaping, Fernando G. Oberdieck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the autoshaping preparation subjects are exposed to magazine training (US-only trials) prior to the conditioning phase in which a stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) predicts the delivery of a response independent reinforcer (unconditioned stimulus, US). Two experiments examined the hypothesis that irrespective of the number of US-only trials administered the magazine training and autoshaping contexts interact to determine conditioning, as measured by contact responses to the CS. The contexts employed were houselight on (light, L) and houselight off (dark, D).

In Experiment I pigeons were exposed to 1, 20, 100, or 900 US-only trials in a D, or L, context …

Autoshaping Infant Vocalizations, Alexander Mcnaughton Myers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of five experiments was conducted to determine whether operant or respondent factors controlled the emission of a particular vocalization ("Q") by human infants 16 to 18 months old. Experiment 1 consisted of a pilot investigation of the effects of an autoshaping procedure on three infants' vocal behavior. All three subjects demonstrated increased emission of the target sound during the CR period. Experiments 2 through 4 attempted to replicate the findings of Experiment 1 under controlled conditions, and failed to do so. Experiment 5a presented infant subjects with a discrete-trial operant procedure (having the identical temporal parameters as the …

Effects Of Preexposure To Shock On Autoshaping, Nancy L. Eldred

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The safety signal hypothesis suggests that during the absence of stimuli predicting impending shock, the organism is not fearful. The stimuli which predict the absence of shock are therefore called safety signals. The purpose of the present study was to investigate some critical properties of safety signals. Such stimuli in an avoidance or escape situation, according to the opponent process model, are expected to acquire hedonic value opposite to shock.

This study examined differences in conditioning variables between safety signals predicting different intensities of shock, and between safety signals present in procedures using predicted shock, and procedures using unpredicted shock. …