Training-to-testing intervals different from 24 h impair habituation in the crab Chasmagnathus

A shadow moving overhead elicits an escape response in the crab Chasmagnathus that habituates promptly and for a long period. Experiments were done to test the effects of time of day (light-phase vs. dark-phase) on the acquisition and retention of the habituated response. The short-term habituation produced by the repetitive presentation of the stimulus does not differ between the two phases of the day though their reactivity during training seems to be higher during the dark phase than during the light, in agreement with the peak of circadian locomotor activity. The magnitude of the long-term habituated response, tested 24 or 72 h after training, does not appear to depend either on the time of day of training or on that of testing, but the retention is impaired when testing is conducted at a time of day that differs from that of the original training. Thus, results indicate a) that habituation of a response to a stimulus presented during the dark phase is not generalized to the same stimulus presented during the light phase, and vice versa; and b) that during training not only information regarding the target stimulus is stored but also information about the phase of the day.