Differential conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response to serial compound stimuli.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the time course and contents of CS representations through an examination of differential conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response to two serial compounds. One compound (A-X+) was always paired with the unconditioned stimulus, and the other (B-X-) was always presented alone. All three experiments entailed manipulation of the interstimulus interval between the initial distinctive element of each compound (A and B) and the second, shared element (X). The joint results revealed that (a) conditioned response acquisition to the initial elements depended on the presence of X in the A-X+ compound; (b) differentiation between A and B appeared across interstimulus intervals up to 4,600 ms; and (c) conditional control over responding following A and B appeared at interstimulus intervals of at least 4,600 ms and perhaps up to 12,600 ms. The results are discussed with respect to mechanisms of occasion setting, generalization, and configuration.