Abstract
The purpose of this research was to describe and explain the acquisition of temporal discriminations, transitions from one temporal interval to another, and asymptotic performance of stimulus and temporal discriminations. Rats were trained on a multiple cued interval (MCI) procedure with a head entry response on three signaled fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement (30, 60, and 120 sec). They readily learned the three temporal discriminations, whether they were presented simultaneously or successively, and they rapidly adjusted their performance to new intervals when the intermediate interval was varied daily. Although exponential functions provided good descriptions of many measures of temporal discrimination, different parameter values were required for each measure. The addition of a linear operator to a packet theory of timing with a single set of parameters provided a quantitative process model that fit many measures of the dynamics of temporal discrimination.
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This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH44234 to Brown University. The raw data (time of occurrence of each response and reinforcer on each session for each rat) are available at http://www.brown.edu/Research/Timelab. This makes it possible for others to examine alternative dependent variables and to evaluate quantitative theories of timing and conditioning (Church, 2002).
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Guilhardi, P., Church, R.M. Dynamics of temporal discrimination. Learning & Behavior 33, 399–416 (2005). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193179
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193179