空虚時程における, ラットの時間弁別学習

概要

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Eight rats were trained to detect differences between two durations of empty intervals (0.9 s vs. 3.9 s) with which brief tones (100 ms) were repeated. A standard yes/no procedure was used. In the training, two fixed levers were used and rats had to withhold responding until the second tone was presented (signaled differential reinforcement of long latencies). Five rats reached the criterion. The learning process was analyzed with the signal detection theory. The increase of detectability index (<I>d</I>) and the modification of response bias (β) were shown. For the rats reaching the criterion, a staircase method was used to determine the difference limen for the duration of an empty auditory interval ranging from .5 to 16 s. A generalized Weber model provided a better approximation to the growth in the differential limen as a function of the duration of stimuli than a generalized Counter model. The Weber fraction obtained in the present study was similar to that obtained by Church, Getty, and Lerner (1976).These results also helped to further clarify the difference between rats andhumans in duration discrimination.