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Classical Conditioning Of Red-Backed Salamanders, Plethodon Cinereus, Scott Kight
Classical Conditioning Of Red-Backed Salamanders, Plethodon Cinereus, Scott Kight
Scott Kight
We examined associative learning as it relates to the sensory ecology of the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus, using a classical conditioning design to evaluate the response of salamanders to different kinds of stimuli. Conditioned stimuli (CS) reflected visual, chemosensory, and mechanosensory modalities of P. cinereus, with brief exposures to (I) white light, (II) acetic acid fumes, (III) low-frequency sound, and (IV) low-frequency vibration. In all experiments, a gentle mechanical stimulation of the tail served as the unconditioned stimulus (US), which consistently elicited movement of the head or body as the unconditioned response (UR). For two days, the US …