Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been ... more Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been based on the Darwinian notion of continuity between species. In this framework, we find analogous models to understand human biology and behavior in nonhuman species. In the scientific study of psychology, animal models have proven to be an effective tool for understanding both normal and abnormal human behaviors. In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.
Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been ... more Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been based on the Darwinian notion of continuity between species. In this framework, we find analogous models to understand human biology and behavior in nonhuman species. In the scientific study of psychology, animal models have proven to be an effective tool for understanding both normal and abnormal human behaviors. In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.
Three conditioned suppression experiments with rats as subjects assessed the contributions of the... more Three conditioned suppression experiments with rats as subjects assessed the contributions of the conditioned stimulus (CS)– context and context– unconditioned stimulus (US) associations to the degraded stimulus control by the CS that is observed following partial reinforcement relative to continuous reinforcement training. In Experiment 1, posttraining associative deflation (i.e., extinction) of the training context after partial reinforcement restored responding to a level comparable to the one produced by continuous reinforcement. In Experiment 2, posttraining associative inflation of the context (achieved by administering unsignaled outcome presentations in the context) enhanced the detrimental effect of partial reinforcement. Experiment 3 found that the training context must be an effective competitor to produce the partial reinforcement acquisition deficit. When the context was down-modulated, the target regained behavioral control thereby demonstrating higher-order retrospective revaluation. The results are discussed in terms of retrospective revaluation, and are used to contrast the predictions of a performancefocused model with those of an acquisition-focused model.
Two conditioned suppression experiments with rats were conducted to determine whether the spontan... more Two conditioned suppression experiments with rats were conducted to determine whether the spontaneous recovery and renewal that are commonly observed in retroactive outcome interference (e.g., extinction) also occur in retroactive cue interference. Experiment 1 showed that a long delay between Phase 2 (the interfering phase) and testing produces a recovery from the cue interference (i.e., the delay enhanced responding to the target cue trained in Phase 1), which is analogous to the spontaneous recovery effect observed in extinction and other retroactive outcome interference procedures. Experiment 2 showed that, when target and interfering cues are trained in separate contexts and testing occurs in a different but familiar context, a recovery from the cue interference is also observed (i.e., the context shift enhanced responding to the target), which is analogous to ABC renewal from extinction. The results are discussed in terms of the possibility that similar associative mechanisms underlie cue and outcome interference.
Three conditioned lick suppression experiments with rats examined the role of the context in the ... more Three conditioned lick suppression experiments with rats examined the role of the context in the selection and integration of independently acquired interval relationships. In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to separate conditioned stimuli 1 and 2 (CS1–CS2) pairings with 2 different interval relationships, each in its own distinctive context, X or Y. The resultant integration was determined by the training context (X or Y) in which unconditioned stimulus (US)–CS2 backward pairings occurred, as assessed in a third neutral context (Z). In Experiment 2, rats experienced CS1–CS2 pairings with 2 different interval relationships as in Experiment 1, and then received US–CS2 pairings in both contexts X and Y. The testing context (i.e., X or Y) determined the resultant integration. In Experiment 3, rats were exposed to CS1–CS2 pairings in 2 different interval relationships each in different phases (i.e., Phases 1 and 2), and then in Phase 3 received US–CS2 pairings. The temporal context of testing (i.e., short or long retention interval) determined the resultant integration. Thus, both physical and temporal context can be used to disambiguate conflicting temporal information.
Previous studies have shown that stimuli associated with drugs can acquire motivational proprieti... more Previous studies have shown that stimuli associated with drugs can acquire motivational proprieties, which allow them to control operant behavior for drug consumption/seeking and other types of reward. The current research investigated whether a conditioned stimulus (CS) that has been paired with ethanol is able to disrupt the rate of responding for a reward. A Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiment was conducted with albino rats. The experimental group received paired presentations of the CS (i.e, tone) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) (i.e., the effects of ethanol). Subjects in the control group received random presentations of the US and the CS. The rate of operant behavior for food seeking in both the presence and the absence of the CS was determined for the subjects. The results show that a CS associated with ethanol increased the rate of responding for food.
The Pavlovian analysis of drug tolerance describes how the contexts of drug administration partic... more The Pavlovian analysis of drug tolerance describes how the contexts of drug administration participate in the elicitation of compensatory conditioned responses that are, at least partly, responsible for tolerance. Findings indicate that if an association is acquired in one context and extinguished in another one, when exposing the subjects to the acquisition context, renewal of the conditioned response will take place. Ambiguous evidence exists about whether or not this effect diminishes when extinguishing the association in multiple contexts. This investigation evaluates the existence of the phenomenon of renewal of tolerance to ethanol, and whether it diminishes by the extinction in multiple contexts. Evidence of renewal of tolerance to ethanol in rats was found, but no diminution was observed when extinguishing in multiple contexts.
Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been ... more Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been based on the Darwinian notion of continuity between species. In this framework, we find analogous models to understand human biology and behavior in nonhuman species. In the scientific study of psychology, animal models have proven to be an effective tool for understanding both normal and abnormal human behaviors. In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.
Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been ... more Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been based on the Darwinian notion of continuity between species. In this framework, we find analogous models to understand human biology and behavior in nonhuman species. In the scientific study of psychology, animal models have proven to be an effective tool for understanding both normal and abnormal human behaviors. In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.
Three conditioned suppression experiments with rats as subjects assessed the contributions of the... more Three conditioned suppression experiments with rats as subjects assessed the contributions of the conditioned stimulus (CS)– context and context– unconditioned stimulus (US) associations to the degraded stimulus control by the CS that is observed following partial reinforcement relative to continuous reinforcement training. In Experiment 1, posttraining associative deflation (i.e., extinction) of the training context after partial reinforcement restored responding to a level comparable to the one produced by continuous reinforcement. In Experiment 2, posttraining associative inflation of the context (achieved by administering unsignaled outcome presentations in the context) enhanced the detrimental effect of partial reinforcement. Experiment 3 found that the training context must be an effective competitor to produce the partial reinforcement acquisition deficit. When the context was down-modulated, the target regained behavioral control thereby demonstrating higher-order retrospective revaluation. The results are discussed in terms of retrospective revaluation, and are used to contrast the predictions of a performancefocused model with those of an acquisition-focused model.
Two conditioned suppression experiments with rats were conducted to determine whether the spontan... more Two conditioned suppression experiments with rats were conducted to determine whether the spontaneous recovery and renewal that are commonly observed in retroactive outcome interference (e.g., extinction) also occur in retroactive cue interference. Experiment 1 showed that a long delay between Phase 2 (the interfering phase) and testing produces a recovery from the cue interference (i.e., the delay enhanced responding to the target cue trained in Phase 1), which is analogous to the spontaneous recovery effect observed in extinction and other retroactive outcome interference procedures. Experiment 2 showed that, when target and interfering cues are trained in separate contexts and testing occurs in a different but familiar context, a recovery from the cue interference is also observed (i.e., the context shift enhanced responding to the target), which is analogous to ABC renewal from extinction. The results are discussed in terms of the possibility that similar associative mechanisms underlie cue and outcome interference.
Three conditioned lick suppression experiments with rats examined the role of the context in the ... more Three conditioned lick suppression experiments with rats examined the role of the context in the selection and integration of independently acquired interval relationships. In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to separate conditioned stimuli 1 and 2 (CS1–CS2) pairings with 2 different interval relationships, each in its own distinctive context, X or Y. The resultant integration was determined by the training context (X or Y) in which unconditioned stimulus (US)–CS2 backward pairings occurred, as assessed in a third neutral context (Z). In Experiment 2, rats experienced CS1–CS2 pairings with 2 different interval relationships as in Experiment 1, and then received US–CS2 pairings in both contexts X and Y. The testing context (i.e., X or Y) determined the resultant integration. In Experiment 3, rats were exposed to CS1–CS2 pairings in 2 different interval relationships each in different phases (i.e., Phases 1 and 2), and then in Phase 3 received US–CS2 pairings. The temporal context of testing (i.e., short or long retention interval) determined the resultant integration. Thus, both physical and temporal context can be used to disambiguate conflicting temporal information.
Previous studies have shown that stimuli associated with drugs can acquire motivational proprieti... more Previous studies have shown that stimuli associated with drugs can acquire motivational proprieties, which allow them to control operant behavior for drug consumption/seeking and other types of reward. The current research investigated whether a conditioned stimulus (CS) that has been paired with ethanol is able to disrupt the rate of responding for a reward. A Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiment was conducted with albino rats. The experimental group received paired presentations of the CS (i.e, tone) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) (i.e., the effects of ethanol). Subjects in the control group received random presentations of the US and the CS. The rate of operant behavior for food seeking in both the presence and the absence of the CS was determined for the subjects. The results show that a CS associated with ethanol increased the rate of responding for food.
The Pavlovian analysis of drug tolerance describes how the contexts of drug administration partic... more The Pavlovian analysis of drug tolerance describes how the contexts of drug administration participate in the elicitation of compensatory conditioned responses that are, at least partly, responsible for tolerance. Findings indicate that if an association is acquired in one context and extinguished in another one, when exposing the subjects to the acquisition context, renewal of the conditioned response will take place. Ambiguous evidence exists about whether or not this effect diminishes when extinguishing the association in multiple contexts. This investigation evaluates the existence of the phenomenon of renewal of tolerance to ethanol, and whether it diminishes by the extinction in multiple contexts. Evidence of renewal of tolerance to ethanol in rats was found, but no diminution was observed when extinguishing in multiple contexts.
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Papers by Gonzalo Miguez
In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of
better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.
In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of
better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.