Sniffy the Rat Lab Report 3

In this lab, you will explore advanced phenomena in classical conditioning:

• Inhibitory Conditioning: How a CS can signal the absence of a UCS and reduce CRs.
• Sensory Preconditioning: How pairing two CSs before conditioning can lead to indirect learning.
• Higher-Order Conditioning: How a CS can acquire strength by being paired with another CS that predicts a UCS.

These exercises demonstrate that learning involves complex associative processes beyond simple CSUCS pairings.

What You Need to Submit

Your combined report must include:

0. Document Header

• Your Name
• Date
• Experiment Title: Lab Report 3

1. Introduction

• Define inhibitory conditioning, sensory preconditioning, and higher-order conditioning.
• Explain why these phenomena are important for understanding associative learning.
• State the overall purpose of the exercises.

2. Method

• Summarize the procedure (Exercise 10-13) for each exercise in your own words.
• Identify the independent and dependent variables for each exercise.

3. Results

Proof of Completion:

• Include screenshots for each exercise:
• Movement Ratio view
• CS Response Strength mind view
• Label each screenshot clearly (e.g., Figure 1: Exercise 10 Stage 1 CS Response Strength).

Observations:

• For each exercise, describe:
• How graphs changed across stages.
• What these changes indicate about inhibitory or higher-order learning.

4. Discussion

Answer these conceptual questions:

1. How does inhibitory conditioning differ from excitatory conditioning?
2. Why does prior inhibitory conditioning slow excitatory conditioning (Exercise 10)?
3. How does response summation demonstrate inhibitory control (Exercise 11)?
4. What does sensory preconditioning reveal about SS associations?
5. How does higher-order conditioning differ from sensory preconditioning?
6. Why do these phenomena challenge simple stimulusresponse theories?
7. Provide real-world examples of inhibitory learning (e.g., safety signals), sensory preconditioning, and higher-order conditioning.
8. What limitations exist in using Sniffy to model these phenomena?