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| Research article summary (published 30 Mar 2009): |
Overexpectation and trial massing.
Full Abstract
Three experiments were conducted to examine the interaction of overexpectation treatment and trial massing using a Pavlovian fear conditioning procedure with rats. In first-order conditioning, Experiment 1 found the overexpectation effect (i.e., decreased conditioned responding to a cue after compound training when the elements were previously reinforced), the trial spacing effect (i.e., decreased responding to a cue when reinforced trials are massed), and a counteraction between overexpectation treatment and trial massing (i.e., an alleviation of the decrement in responding seen with overexpectation treatment or trial massing alone when the two treatments are conjointly administered). Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 with the critical treatments embedded within a sensory preconditioning preparation. The overexpectation effect, the trial spacing effect, and the mutual counteraction of overexpectation treatment and trial massing all proved significant. In Experiment 3, either the nontarget conditioned stimulus of overexpectation treatment or the excitatory context resulting from trial massing was extinguished. Results are best explained by the extended comparator hypothesis (J. C. Denniston, H. I. Savastano, & R. R. Miller, 2001). Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.
Author information
Author/s: Sissons, Heather T (HT); Miller, Ralph R (RR);
Affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA.
Grants: 33881 (Agency:PHS HHS)
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Journal: Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes (J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2009-Apr; vol 35 (issue 2) : pp 186-96
Dates: Created 2009/04/14; Completed 2009/06/25;
PMID: 19364228, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 6/25/2009, IMS Date: 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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