To examine the effects of variations in the stimulus conditions of habituation, 48 cats were conditioned under three types of habituation pre-training. The major condition of interest was different rates of nonreinforced pre-exposure to the same physical stimulus in 1-hr. sessions for four days. Pre-training was followed by standard escape-avoidance with 10 trials a day for 16 days. Rates of acquisition of escape-avoidance varied significantly with the type of habituation pre-training given, the periodicity of stimulus exposure, additional cue, and age. It has been inferred that habituation is an anticipatory response dependent upon the predictability of stimulus occurrence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
EstesW.Toward a statistical theory of learning. Psychol. Rev., 1950, 57, 94–107.
2.
FoxS.Evoked potential habituation rate and sensory pattern preference as determined by stimulus information. J. comp. physiol. Psychol., 1964, 58, 225–232.
3.
GalambosR.Studies of the auditory system with implanted electrodes. In RasmussenG. & WindleW. (Eds.), Neural mechanisms of the auditory and vestibuhr systems. Springfield: Thomas, 1960. Pp. 137–151.
4.
GastautH.The role of the reticular formation in establishing conditioned reactions. In JasperH. (Ed.), Reticular formation of the brain.Boston: Little, Brown, 1958. Pp. 561–579.
Hernandez-PeonR.Reticular mechanisms of sensory control. In RosenbleuthJ. (Ed.), Sensory communication.Cambridge: Mit, 1961. Pp. 479–536.
7.
Hernandez-PeonR., & ScheererH.Habituation to acoustic stimuli in the cochlear nucleus. Fed. Proc, 1955, 14, 71. (Abstract)
8.
LlndquistE.Design and analysis of experiments in psychology and education. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1956.
9.
LubowR.Latent inhibition: effects of frequency of nonreinforced pre-exposure of the Cs. J. comp. physiol. Psychol., 1965, 60, 454–457.
10.
LubowR., & MooreA.Latent inhibition: the effect of nonreinforced pre-exposure to the conditional stimulus. J. comp. physiol. Psychol., 1959, 52, 415–419.
SharplessS., & JasperH.Habituation of the arousal reaction. Brain, 1956, 79, 655–680.
15.
SkinnerB.The behavior of organisms. New York: Appleton-Century, 1938.
16.
SokolovE.Neuronal models and the orienting reflex. In BrazierM. (Ed.), The central nervous system and behavior.New York: Josiah Macy, Jr., Found., 1960. Pp. 187–276.
