| Abstract: | In 2 experiments, rats received a biconditional discrimination wherein separate presentations of A and B signaled 1 pair of associations (X?→?food and Y?→?no food) and presentations of C and D signaled a different pair of associations (X?→?no food and Y?→?food). In Exp 1, A, B, C, and D were diffuse contextual stimuli in which the associations were embedded. In Exp 2, A and C were contextual stimuli whereas B and D were features that immediately preceded the associations. To assess the associative structures acquired during training, all rats then received a revaluation procedure in which A was paired with shock and C was not. In both experiments, greater generalized suppression of behavior was observed in the presence of B than in the presence of D. These results indicate that contextual stimuli share with features the capacity to evoke the associations that they have signaled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
