Temporal Discrimination Learning

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的长期目标是确定一种时间理论，该理论可以定量地解释在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测量。这些过程包括经典条件反射、操作性条件反射和选择。个体反应的时间（按杠杆、将头伸进食物杯、舔水管）将被记录下来，这将是确定反应回合特征、总体反应率以及事件（刺激、反应和强化物）与局部反应率之间关系的基础。大鼠将在可比较的时间程序中进行训练，这些程序在刺激和反应偶然事件的数量、食物强化物的分布和平均强化率方面有所不同。假设回合结构是相对稳定的，整体反应率在很大程度上受整体强化率的控制，反应模式在很大程度上受期望强化时间的控制。一种可以定量解释这些结果的计时包理论正在发展中。将根据其简洁性、灵活性和一般性以及与行为数据的契合度对其进行评估。原始数据将在网络上提供，以便其他人可以验证、质疑和/或扩展已发表的结果，并比较对数据的不同解释。不同的时间知觉扭曲是不同精神障碍和药物性障碍的特征。理解时间表现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.