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Related Experiment Videos

Superconditioning from a reduced reinforcer.

Robert A Rescorla1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA. rescorla@cattell.psych.upenn.edu

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. B, Comparative and Physiological Psychology
|June 19, 2004
PubMed
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Superconditioning, a phenomenon where prior inhibitory training enhances subsequent learning, was demonstrated in pigeons. This effect occurred even when the initial training involved a stronger reinforcer.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral psychology
  • Animal learning
  • Conditioning and learning

Background:

  • Autoshaping in pigeons is a key paradigm for studying associative learning.
  • Conditioned inhibition involves training a stimulus to predict the absence of reinforcement.
  • Previous research has explored factors influencing the strength of conditioned associations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the phenomenon of 'superconditioning' in pigeons.
  • To determine if prior conditioned inhibition can enhance subsequent excitatory conditioning.
  • To examine the role of reinforcer intensity in superconditioning.

Main Methods:

  • Four autoshaping experiments were conducted with pigeons.
  • Conditioned inhibition training (A++, AB-) preceded subsequent excitatory training (AB+).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Stimulus A was paired with a strong reinforcer (++), then with a moderate reinforcer (+), in the presence of an inhibitor (B).

    • Main Results:

    • Pigeons demonstrated enhanced conditioning to stimulus A following AB+ training, a phenomenon termed superconditioning.
    • This enhancement was significant compared to control groups with different prior treatments of stimulus A.
    • Superconditioning occurred even when A was previously paired with a stronger reinforcer than the one used in the subsequent training.

    Conclusions:

    • Prior conditioned inhibition can potentiate subsequent excitatory conditioning, leading to superconditioning.
    • The inhibitory properties of stimulus B enhanced the effective reinforcing power of the moderate reinforcer (+).
    • Superconditioning is a robust phenomenon, observable under various training and extinction conditions.