The influence of suggestion on the relationship between stimulus size and perceived distance.
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The middle (10-50 ms) and long (50-600 ms) latency periods of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) were investigated in muscle-paralyzed, artificially respired cats with respect to two issues: (1) the distribution of components across the skull, and (2) the effects of changing stimulus intensity on component latencies and amplitudes. The distributional data were gathered during a behavioral study in which four behavioral tasks related to classical pupillary conditioning were used to vary attentional and arousal processes. The distributions across the skull surface (averaged across tasks) of 12 peaks and troughs (P10, N13, P17, N22, P31, N41, P55, N70, N100, N140, P260 and N520) and seven principal components derived from the set of waveforms collected during this experiment are reported. Both peak amplitudes and principal component scores were distributed differentially across the skull surface. In the second experiment, acoustic stimulus intensity was varied, and AEPs collected from a vertex and temporal electrode site. In general, increasing stimulus intensity had a stronger influence on the earlier portions of the AEP, where increased amplitude and decreased latency was the rule, than on later ones. The relationships between cat and human AEP components were discussed based on both the data presented in this paper and in previous papers.
Six pigeons were trained in a discrete-trials signal-detection procedure to discriminate between a fixed-duration stimulus (5 s or 20 s) and a set of variable durations ranging from 2.5 s to 57.5 s in steps of 5 s. For each fixed-duration stimulus, the ratio of reinforcer frequencies contingent upon reporting the fixed versus the variable stimulus was systematically manipulated. Detection performance was well controlled by both the stimulus value and the reinforcer ratio. Both the discriminability between the fixed duration and the set of variable durations, and the discriminability between the fixed duration and each of the variable durations, were independent of the reinforcer-frequency ratio when discriminability was measured as log d. The sensitivity of response bias to reinforcement-ratio changes was independent of the value of the fixed duration, but was not independent of the discriminability of the variable durations from the fixed durations. Under current models, discriminability measures in complex temporal discrimination may be independent of biasing manipulations, but bias measures are not independent of stimulus values.
S. J. Lupker, P. Brown, and L. Colombo (1997) reported that target naming latencies are strongly affected by the difficulty of the other stimuli in a trial block, an effect they attributed to readers' strategic use of a time criterion to guide responding. In the present research, the authors asked whether there are also trial-by-trial ("sequential") effects by examining naming latency as a function of the difficulty of the preceding stimulus. In Experiment 1, both nonwords and high-frequency regular words were named more rapidly following a word than a nonword. Experiments 2, 3, and 4 were parallel experiments involving a variety of stimulus types (e.g., high- and low-frequency inconsistent words, easy and hard nonwords). In all cases, similar sequential effects were observed (i.e., all stimulus types had shorter latencies following an easier-to-name than a harder-to-name stimulus). In terms of the time-criterion account, criterion placement appears to be affected by the relative difficulty of the preceding stimulus in a way that is independent of stimulus type.
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The responsiveness of neurons in a region of the chick brain involved in the learning process of imprinting, the right intermediate and medial hyperstriatum ventrale (right IMHV), has been investigated in unanaesthetized, trained and untrained chicks. The results demonstrate that neuronal responsiveness in this region reflects a variety of behavioural consequences of imprinting and is markedly altered as a result of the learning process. Groups of chicks (nine in each group) were either dark-reared or trained (imprinted) by exposure to a rotating red box or a rotating blue cylinder. Recordings of single or small groups of neurons were subsequently made from 156 sites in the right IMHV while the 2-day-old chicks were free to move in a running wheel. There was a highly significant increase in the proportion of sites responsive to the stimulus used to train the birds compared to the proportion responsive to that stimulus in dark-reared birds (30 and 9% respectively). These changes were found when either the red box or the blue cylinder was used to train the bird, the changes being similar for both stimuli. There was also a significant increase in the mean magnitude of the change in neuronal activity on stimulus presentation for the training stimulus compared to the same stimulus when not used in the bird's training. No significant effects of the training experience of the chicks were found upon either the magnitude of evoked activity or the proportion of sites responsive to a rotating stuffed jungle fowl or the sound of the maternal call. The presence of the training stimulus was selectively signalled by the response at certain sites. At other sites there was response generalization across stimulus shape or colour. A comparison with results for the left IMHV demonstrates both similarities and differences in neuronal responsiveness between the two regions. In both regions imprinting selectively enhances neuronal responsiveness to the training stimulus. However, for trained birds the mean proportion of sites responding to whichever of the red box or the blue cylinder was not used in the bird's training was significantly lower in the right than the left IMHV. These results are discussed in relationship to previously reported asymmetries in the response of the right and left IMHV regions to imprinting. A model is introduced to explain the physiological findings. The effects of training on right IMHV neuronal function are consistent with a long-term role for this region in the recognition memory of imprinting.
The aim of the present investigation was to determine to what extent training tolerance to one motion stimulus would generalize other motion experiences. Twenty subjects prone to motion sickness were selected and assigned to one of four groups after pretesting in a Dichgans and Brandt drum to determine their susceptibility to visually-induced apparent motion. They were also pretested with a VDT display of an expanding surface, and on a revolving/tilting chair. Subjects were assigned to one of the four groups by matching their mean tolerance to visually-induced motion. Subjects in the first group served as controls and received only cognitive counseling regarding their ability to tolerate motion environments. Subjects in the other groups received the same counseling coupled with incremental exposures to the drum, chair, or VDT, respectively. Posttests on each apparatus revealed that the treatments involving the chair and the drum provided specific increases in tolerance to the device used during treatment, and that the treatment involving the chair provided a generalized tolerance to visually-induced motion. These results support the notion that there are both specific and general components in learning to tolerate motion environments.
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Rats were exposed to the compound flavors AX and BX, presented in alternation, and to CX on a separate block of trials. Generalization to BX after aversion conditioning with AX was less than to CX. An equivalent effect was found when the nature of the common element was changed after preexposure but not when the common element was omitted during preexposure, during conditioning and test, or both. Rats conditioned with X alone again showed less aversion to BX than to CX; similarly, rats conditioned with a novel flavor (Y) showed less aversion to BY than to CY. These effects support the proposal that intermixed preexposure to AX and BX enhances the perceptual effectiveness of their unique features, A and B.
The ability of the interoceptive cues produced following exposure to restraint stress to generalize to the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine was investigated. Rats were trained to discriminate cocaine (10 mg/kg, IP, n=10; or 20 mg/kg, IP, n=6) from saline using a two-choice, food-reinforced, drug discrimination design. Substitution for the 10 mg/kg training dose of cocaine was observed subsequent to exposure to 15 min of restraint when administered immediately following an injection of saline. Restraint-induced generalization in the 20 mg/kg training group was substantial, but not statistically significant. These data suggest that a component of the subjective effects of cocaine may be associated with "anxiety".
Rats were trained to discriminate 0.10 mg/kg SC physostigmine from saline in a two-lever food-reinforced task. There was generalization to the acetylcholine esterase inhibitor THA as well as to the muscarinic receptor agonists arecoline, oxotremorine and RS 86, but not to neostigmine or nicotine. The physostigmine cue was blocked by SC scopolamine hydrobromide and by ICV pirenzepine, but not by scopolamine methylbromide or by mecamylamine. These antagonism studies suggest that the discriminative cue elicited by physostigmine might be mainly mediated by central M1 receptors.
The opioids SKF 10047, dl-cyclazocine, and dextrorphan have been shown to have phencyclidine (PCP)-like discriminative stimulus properties in the rat. In order to extend the generality of this observation, the stimulus effect of these and other opioids were evaluated in squirrel monkeys trained to discriminate between IM injections of saline and 0.25 mg/kg of PCP in a two-choice discrete-trial avoidance paradigm. Stimulus control of behavior was characterized by the reliable completion of at least 22 trials of a 25-trial session on the appropriate choice lever after an injection of saline or PCP. In tests of stimulus generalization, SKF 10047, d-cyclazocine, dextrorphan, normetazocine, dl-cyclazocine, l-cyclazocine, and dextromethorphan occasioned dose-related increases in PCP-appropriate responding. The first four of these compounds and, under some conditions, l- and dl-cyclazocine, produced stimulus control of behavior comparable to that produced by the PCP training dose. Six other opioids occasioned responding only on the saline-appropriate liver: ethylketocyclazocine. Ketocyclazocine, levorphanol, levallorphan, pentazocine, naltrexone. Naltrexone (1.0 or 4.0 mg/kg) attenuated slightly the PCP-like stimulus effects of SKF 10047 and dextrorphan, but increased PCP-appropriate responding with l- and dl-cyclazocine and levorphanol by enabling higher doses of these drugs to be tested without disruption of responding. The PCP-like stimulus effects of certain opioids appear to be mediated at neuronal substrates acted upon by PCP rather than at sites typically associated with opiate activity. These neuronal sites of action common to opioids and PCP may correspond to the sigma "opiate" receptor.
The present study examined the discriminative stimulus properties of amphetamine (AMP) at progressively lower doses in lead-exposed and normal rats. In addition, generalization gradients of AMP, apomorphine, methylphenidate, and caffeine to both high and low training doses of AMP were determined in these rats. Under the high AMP training dose condition (1.0 mg/kg, IP) generalization gradients of AMP were similar for lead-exposed and control rats. When the training doses were progressively lowered, the lead-exposed rats tended to require a higher range of AMP doses (0.24-0.49 mg/kg) than did control rats (0.18-0.32 mg/kg) to maintain discriminative control. In parallel with this, the minimal discriminable doses tended to be higher for lead-exposed rats than for control rats. Methylphenidate generalization gradients were different for lead-exposed and control rats under the high AMP training condition but became similar under the low AMP training condition. No differences attributable to training dose or lead exposure were evident for apomorphine or caffeine.
The present study evaluated the role of compatibility effects in the precuing of arm and direction parameters. In the first two experiments different stimulus and response arrangements were examined. For all three experiments the spatial precue and imperative stimuli were compatibly assigned to responses (i.e., a direct correspondence existed between the stimulus and response locations). Experiments 1 and 2 indirectly tested the effect of decision processes required by the stimulus-response set. Experiment 1 replicated previous research that has found longer reaction times for the direction uncertain parameter as compared to arm uncertain. Experiment 2 examined the precuing of arm and direction parameters with stimuli that maintained right-left arrangements for both parameters. Unlike Experiment 1, reaction times did not differ for precuing the two movement parameters. Experiment 3 directly examined the effect of differential decision requirements from up-down spatial stimuli and right-left spatial stimuli for a single parameter. In support of results from the first two experiments, results indicated longer reaction times for decisions from up-down stimuli as compared to right-left stimuli. Because reaction times for precued movement parameters are a function of the stimulus and response arrangements used, differences in reaction times are most likely due to compatibility effects arising from differences in the spatial arrangements of the precued stimulus and response set.
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This study investigated the development of nonvocal teaching of reading and writing in severely retarded children. Fourteen subjects were selected who demonstrated limited communication skills, and were randomly placed into two groups. Group A received training procedures utilizing abstract plastic symbols which were arbitrarily assigned to represent specific words. The training program was divided into three phases. Phase I consisted of training left to right sequencing of four color--coded forms; Phase II consisted of training of matching symbols to stimulus pictures; and Phase III consisted of training of fading from symbols to printed words. The subjects completing this training program demonstrated the ability to learn selected reading and writing skills, i.e., they learned to sequence an article, subject noun, auxiliary verb, and verb. They also demonstrated functional semantic comprehension of five nouns and five verbs. Thirteen subjects finished the communication training program in less than four months with a mean training of 7 hours and 55 minutes. This is approximately 2 hours of training a month per subject to learn these skills. The data showed that Group B (rebuses) required fewer trials than Group A (abstract symbols) to meet criterion for Phase II, matching symbols to stimulus pictures. This suggests that Group B subjects may have had a meaningful association for the rebus signs which generalized to stimulus pictures. Group A (abstract symbols) required fewer trials than Group B (rebuse) to meet criterion for Phase 111, matching printed words to stimulus pictures. This indicates that perhaps Group A's training with abstract symbols positively affected learning to read printed words. The success of the visual nonvocal treatment program with the severely retarded is encouraging. Indeed, this is a different and viable approach in teaching communication skills (reading and writing) to the retarded.