Influence of visual conditioned stimulus characteristics on the form of Pavlovian appetitive conditioned responding in rats.

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Abstract
The influence of visual stimulus characteristics on the form of Pavlovian appetitive conditioned responding in rats was examined in 3 experiments. In experiment 1, localized conditioned stimuli (CS) evoked behaviors mostly directed toward the CS source, and more diffuse CS evoked behaviors mostly directed toward the delivery site of the food unconditioned stimulus (US). In experiment 2, localized CS nearer the US delivery site evoked more CS-directed but less US site-directed behaviors than localized CS farther from the US delivery site. In experiment 3, the extent to which rats contacted CS sources depended on variation in a number of CS features casually described as affecting the feasibility of contact with those CS. In all 3 experiments, some differences in behavior evoked by the various CS were noted prior to conditioning; these differences were enhanced by conditioning and further magnified by discrimination training. A hypothesis in which orienting responses play an important role in determining the character of Pavlovian conditioned responding was discussed.

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