EFFECTS OF CONTEXT ON RESPONDING DURING A COMPOUND STIMULUS

In 4 experiments, the authors used rats to examine the strength of res ponding during a clicker-tone compound in the presence of a light, aft er the auditory stimuli had individually been paired with food in the presence of the same light. Experiment 1 demonstrated a higher rate of responding during the compound when the duration of the light was sho rt rather than long. In Experiments 2, 3, and 4, the long duration lig ht was used as a signal for food in a conditional discrimination invol ving the tone and the clicker. Responding on test trials with the clic ker-tone compound during the light was enhanced by this treatment and resulted in a level of performance that was no different from that obs erved when the duration of the light was short. The results are more c ompatible with a configural than an elemental theory of associative le arning.