Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Interval timing as an emergent learning property.

Valentin Dragoi1, J E R Staddon, Richard G Palmer

  • 1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. vdragoi@ai.mit.edu

Psychological Review
|January 17, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sparseness facilitates image encoding across visuo-frontal networks in freely moving macaque.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Impulsivity in NrCAM KO Mice Is Reduced by NMDAR Antagonist MK-801 but Not by AMPAR Antagonist CNQX.

NeuroSci·2026
Same author

Unsupervised learning of temporal regularities in visual cortical populations.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Optogenetic modulation of long-range cortical circuits in awake nonhuman primates.

Nature protocols·2025
Same author

NREM sleep improves behavioral performance by desynchronizing cortical circuits.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2024
Same author

NrCAM-deficient mice exposed to chronic stress exhibit disrupted latent inhibition, a hallmark of schizophrenia.

Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience·2024
Same journal

Perception and action as one: Re-integrating research on human action through event files.

Psychological review·2026
Same journal

Associative learning explains "intuitive statistics" in animals.

Psychological review·2026
Same journal

A reciprocal model of practice and skill: Navigating between dropout and expertise.

Psychological review·2026
Same journal

The relative psychometric function: A general analysis framework for relating psychological processes.

Psychological review·2026
Same journal

A taxonomy of discriminatory behavior.

Psychological review·2026
Same journal

Extreme-value signal detection theory for recognition memory: The parametric road not taken.

Psychological review·2026
See all related articles

This study introduces a novel pacemaker-free model for interval timing in operant conditioning. It explains temporal discrimination using response competition and memory, challenging existing theories.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral science
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Interval timing is crucial for operant conditioning, involving learned covariation between temporal measures and variables.
  • Current dominant theories rely on an unproven internal clock or "pacemaker" mechanism.
  • A need exists for alternative models explaining interval timing without assuming an explicit internal clock.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and validate a pacemaker-free model for interval timing in operant conditioning.
  • To demonstrate that temporal discrimination can be explained without a periodic time reference.
  • To offer a radical departure from existing interval timing theories.

Main Methods:

  • The study proposes a novel theoretical framework for interval timing.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The model is based on two core assumptions: response competition and memory modulation.
  • It simulates temporal discrimination using these principles.

    • Main Results:

    • Temporal discrimination can be explained through a simple dynamic process.
    • The model successfully accounts for interval timing without an internal "pacemaker".
    • Learned temporal behavior emerges from response competition modulated by reinforcement memory.

    Conclusions:

    • A pacemaker-free view offers a viable alternative for understanding interval timing.
    • The proposed model provides a parsimonious explanation for temporal learning.
    • This work challenges the necessity of an internal clock in interval timing theories.