Temporal Discrimination Learning

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的长期目标是确定一个时间理论，该理论定量地解释了时间感知和时间表现研究中使用的许多程序中的许多行为措施。这些程序包括经典条件反射、操作性条件反射和选择。将记录个体反应的时间（压杆、头进入食物杯和舔水管），并将其作为确定反应发作特征、总体反应率以及事件（刺激、反应和刺激物）与局部反应率之间关系的基础。大鼠将在可比较的定时程序中接受训练，这些程序在刺激和反应突发事件的数量、食物分配和平均强化率方面有所不同。该假设是回合结构是相对稳定的，整体反应率在很大程度上是由整体强化率控制的，而反应模式在很大程度上是由预期的强化时间控制的。正在开发一种计时的分组理论，可以定量地解释结果。它将被评估其简单性，灵活性和通用性，以及其适合的行为数据。原始数据将在网络上提供，以便其他人可以验证，质疑和/或扩展已发布的结果，并比较数据的替代解释。时间知觉的各种扭曲是不同的精神疾病和药物引起的疾病的特征。了解定时性能的机制可能有助于理解这些影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of the project is to identify a theory of timing that accounts quantitatively for many measures of behavior in many procedures used in the study of time perception and timed performance. These include procedures that involve classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and choice. The times of individual responses (lever pressing, head entry into the food cup, and licks on a water tube) will be recorded, and will be the basis for determination of the characteristics of bouts of responses, overall response rates, and the relationship between events (stimuli, responses, and reinforcers) and the local response rate. Rats will be trained in comparable timing procedures that differ in the number of stimuli and response contingencies, the distribution of food reinforcers, and the average rate of reinforcement. The hypothesis is that the bout structure is relatively stable, the overall response rate is largely controlled by the overall rate of reinforcement, and the pattern of responding is largely controlled by the expected time to reinforcement. A packet theory of timing is being developed that may account quantitatively for the results. It will be evaluated with respect to its simplicity, flexibility, and generality, as well as its fit to the behavioral data. The original data will be made available on the web so that others may verify, challenge, and/or extend published results and to compare alternative explanations of the data. Various distortions of time perception are characteristic of different psychiatric disorders and drug induced disorders. An understanding of the mechanisms underlying timed performance may contribute to an understanding of these effects.