US Specific and General Processes in Pavlovian Learning

描述(由申请人提供)：这里提出的研究涉及巴甫洛夫条件反射中获得的知识内容的一般问题。虽然方法是在行为水平上研究这些问题，但预计这些数据最终将刺激未来在行为水平上的理论工作，以及旨在识别巴甫洛夫条件反射的神经底物的研究。本研究的一个主要目的是通过更详细地探索巴甫洛夫兴奋条件作用中无条件刺激(US)的感觉特异性特性成为潜在联想回路的一部分来评估巴甫洛夫学习的内容。关于这一主题的更多信息将通过以下研究提供：(A)感觉特定学习的获得，(B)这种学习对刺激间和试验间间隔操作的敏感性，以及(C)部分和连续强化的操作，(D)跟踪和延迟条件作用程序之间的潜在差异，以及(E)有时间限制的特定感觉学习的可能性。这一建议的第二个主要目标是更全面地评估一些理论(例如，Konorski，1967；Wagner和Brandon，1989)所声称的巴甫洛夫抑制条件反射也可以是感觉特异性的。我将通过测试几种不同的普遍使用的抑制性条件反射程序产生的感觉特异性条件性抑制来探索这种可能性。这项建议的第三个主要目标是评估学习强化的特定感觉和非特定动机品质之间的关系。这将通过在各种环境中同时监测两种学习形式来进行评估。这些研究将提供一个普遍的问题，即这两种形式的学习是以相反的方式还是以相似的方式受到上面提到的几个不同的条件变量的影响。总而言之，预计这些研究将有助于促进适用于涉及多个USS的情况的学习理论的构建，这是一个目前概念不足但实验丰富的话题。在全球范围内，人们希望这些研究将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.