Generalization of acquired fear as a function of CS intensity and number of acquisition trials.

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Abstract
Twenty-eight rats received 3 or 25 trials of light CS and brief unavoidable shock. CS was bright for half the Ss and dim for the rest. A control group of 7 Ss received 25 backward conditioning trials with the bright CS. On subsequent generalization test trials, shock was omitted and latency of a hurdle jump response into an escape compartment was recorded, on presentation of test lights of varying intensities. Bright CS Ss were tested toward weaker, dim CS Ss toward stronger intensities. Obtained gradients of generalization of acquired fear, following conditioning with a bright CS, are approximately linear and tend to steepen with trials, on the 1st test day. Weak fear conditioning and, hence, no sloping gradients were obtained following backward conditioning or conditioning with a dim CS. Implications of these results for stimulus intensity dynamism and their relation to recent studies of acquired fear are discussed.

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