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Effect of delay interval on classical eyeblink conditioning in 5‐month‐old human infants
Author(s) -
Klaflin Dragana I.,
Stanton Mark E.,
Herbert Jane,
Greer Jennifer,
Eckerman Carol. O.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.10050
Subject(s) - eyeblink conditioning , classical conditioning , conditioning , associative learning , unconditioned stimulus , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , audiology , associative property , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , cognitive psychology , mathematics , statistics , pure mathematics
Associative learning was evaluated in human infants with simple delay classical eyeblink conditioning. A tone conditioned stimulus (CS) was paired with an airpuff unconditioned stimulus (US) at three different delay intervals (250, 650, and 1,250 ms). Independent groups of healthy, full‐term 5‐month‐old human infants were assigned to these three paired conditions and received two identical training sessions 1 week apart. The two longer delays resulted in associative conditioning, as confirmed by comparison with unpaired control groups. However, only at the 650‐ms delay were associative eyeblinks adaptively timed to avoid the airpuff. The delay function at 5 months of age appears much sharper than is observed in adults. Together with the findings of A. H. Little, L. P. Lipsitt, and C. Rovee‐Collier (1984), the present study suggests a downward shift in the optimal delay interval for associative eyeblink conditioning between 1 and 6 months of age. However, this delay remains longer than what is typically reported in adults. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 41: 329–340, 2002. Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/dev.10050