US Specific and General Processes in Pavlovian Learning

描述（由申请人提供）：这里提出的研究是关于巴甫洛夫条件反射中获得的知识内容的一般性问题。虽然该方法是在行为层面研究这些问题，但预计这些数据最终将刺激未来在行为层面的理论工作，以及针对确定巴甫洛夫条件反射的神经基础的研究。本研究的一个主要目标是通过更详细地探索巴甫洛夫兴奋性条件反射中的非条件刺激（US）的感觉特异性特性成为潜在联想回路的一部分，从而评估巴甫洛夫学习的内容。关于这一主题的更多信息将由以下研究提供：(a)感官特异性学习的习得，(b)这种学习对间刺激和间隔操作的敏感性，以及(c)部分强化和连续强化的操作，(d)追踪和延迟条件反射过程之间的潜在差异，以及(e)时间限制的感官特异性学习的可能性。本提案的第二个主要目标是更全面地评估一些理论（例如，Konorski, 1967; Wagner and Brandon, 1989）的主张，即巴甫洛夫抑制条件反射也可以是感官特异性的。我将通过测试由几种不同的常用抑制条件反射程序产生的感觉特异性条件反射抑制来探索这种可能性。本提案的第三个主要目标是评估学习强化的感觉特异性和非特异性动机质量之间的关系。这将通过在各种环境中同时监测两种形式的学习来评估。这些研究将提供对这两种学习形式是否受到上述几种不同条件变量的相反或相似方式的影响的一般性问题的见解。总的来说，这些研究将有助于促进适用于涉及多个USs情境的学习理论的构建，这是一个目前概念化不足但实验丰富的主题。从更广泛的角度来看，我们希望这些研究能够为思考学习的认知和动机基础提供更坚实的基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The research proposed here is concerned with the general issue of the content of knowledge acquired in Pavlovian conditioning. Though the approach is to study these issues at the behavioral level, it is anticipated that the data ultimately will stimulate future theoretical work at the behavioral level as well as research directed towards identifying neural substrates of Pavlovian conditioning. One major goal of this research is to assess the content of Pavlovian learning by exploring in greater detail the idea that sensory-specific qualities of the unconditioned stimulus (US) in Pavlovian excitatory conditioning become part of the underlying associative circuitry. More information on this topic will be provided by studies examining (a) the acquisition of sensory-specific learning, (b) the sensitivity of such learning to interstimulus and intertrial interval manipulations as well as (c) manipulations of partial and continuous reinforcement, (d) potential differences between trace and delay conditioning procedures, and (e) the possibility of time-constrained sensory-specific learning. A second major goal in this proposal is to assess more fully the claim by some theories (e.g., Konorski, 1967; Wagner and Brandon, 1989) that Pavlovian inhibitory conditioning also can be sensory-specific. I will explore this possibility by testing for sensory-specific conditioned inhibition arising from several different popularly used inhibitory conditioning procedures. A third major goal in this proposal is to assess the relationship between learning about sensory-specific and non-specific motivational qualities of reinforcement. This will be assessed by monitoring both forms of learning concurrently in a variety of settings. The studies will provide insight into the general issue of whether these two forms of learning are influenced in opposing or similar ways by the several different conditioning variables noted above. In total, it is anticipated that these studies will be helpful in promoting the construction of learning theories that are applicable to situations involving multiple USs, a currently under-conceptualized but experimentally rich topic. More globally, it is hoped that these studies will provide a much firmer basis upon which to think about the cognitive and motivational foundations of learning.