Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
10:58
Obtaining Specimens with Slowed, Accelerated and Reversed Aging in the Honey Bee Model
Published on: August 29, 2013
Backward blocking in honeybees
R E Blaser1, P A Couvillon, M E Bitterman
1University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Summary
Honeybee experience with stimulus A affects their response to stimulus B after AB+ training. Prior or concurrent A+ training reduces B response, suggesting a simple underlying mechanism beyond traditional blocking explanations.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Animal Cognition
- Insect Behavior
Background:
- Blocking is a phenomenon where prior experience with a stimulus prevents learning about a second stimulus.
- Traditional explanations focus on impaired conditioning during compound trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of prior experience with stimulus A on honeybee responses to stimulus B after AB+ training.
- To explore alternative mechanisms for blocking beyond impaired conditioning.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments using foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera).
- Manipulating the timing and nature of prior training (A+, AB+, C-, C+/A-) relative to AB+ training.
- Measuring honeybee responding to stimulus B after AB+ training.
Main Results:
- Prior or concurrent A+ training significantly reduced responding to B after AB+ training compared to controls.
- The timing of A+ training (preceded, concurrent, or followed) did not alter this effect.
- Subsequent extinction training (A+C- vs. C+/A-) also influenced B responding.
Conclusions:
- Honeybee experience with A influences subsequent learning about B in a manner consistent with blocking.
- Results challenge traditional explanations of blocking, suggesting a simpler, potentially more general mechanism.
- Findings align with recent vertebrate studies on associative learning and blocking.
