Abstract
Employing rats in a CER procedure, the present study sought to determine the extent to which the second-order conditioning effects reported by Rizley and Rescorla (1972) represented first-rather than second-order conditioning. Subjects receiving first-order pairings of flashing light (CS1) and shock followed by second-order pairings of noise (CS2) and CS1 displayed greater suppression to CS2 than did control subjects receiving second-order pairings in the absence of first-order conditioning. This was true whether or not control subjects had experienced unsignaled shock or habituation to CS1 prior to CS2CS1 pairings. Simple stimulus pairings did produce some suppression to CS2, however. The procedure developed by Rizley and Rescorla (1972) appears to be a reliable means for producing and studying second-order aversive conditioning.
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The data reported here formed part of a dissertation submitted to the faculty of Princeton University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree.
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Szakmary, G.A. Second-order conditioning of the conditioned emotional response: Some methodological considerations. Animal Learning & Behavior 7, 181–184 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209268
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209268