ACQUIRED EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN CUES TRAINED WITH A COMMON ANTECEDENT

In Experiment 1, rats experienced 2 stimuli (A and N) each preceded by the same event (food) or by different events (food preceded 1 but not the other). N was then paired with shock, and the generalization of c onditioned suppression to A was assessed. Generalization was more mark ed when A and N had been experienced along with a common antecedent. I n Experiment 2, 3 stimuli (A, B, and N) were presented in initial trai ning. For 1 group, A and N were preceded by food and B was not; for a 2nd group A alone was preceded by food. In each group, suppression gen eralized more readily from N to the stimulus that had received the sam e initial training as had been given to N. Experiment 3 found that gen eralization was not enhanced between stimuli when 1 had preceded food in initial training and 1 had followed it. These results demonstrate t hat stimuli that have shared a common antecedent will come to be treat ed as equivalent.