Animal memory: The contribution of generalization decrement to delayed conditional discrimination retention functions |
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Authors: | Rebecca Rayburn-Reeves Thomas R Zentall |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Psychology,University of Kentucky,Lexington |
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Abstract: | Delayed conditional discriminations in which a sample indicates which comparison stimulus is correct have typically been used
in working memory research with animals. Following acquisition with no (0-sec) delay between the offset of the sample and
the onset of the comparison stimuli, delays of variable duration are introduced. The resulting retention functions are taken
as a measure of memory. We suggest that, in addition to memory loss due to the delay, the comparison of matching accuracy
at the 0-sec training delay with relatively novel test delays may produce a generalization decrement that varies as a function
of increasing delay. We tested this hypothesis by training pigeons with a mixed delay procedure from the start and found that
the retention functions for these pigeons were significantly shallower than those for a control group trained with 0-sec delays
and tested with longer delays, and, although reduced in magnitude, the differences persisted for as many as 15 sessions. We
propose that a measure of animals’ working memory can be obtained uninfluenced by a generalization decrement if they have
received comparable training with all of the delays that are tested. |
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