"Partial reinforcement" in sensory preconditioning with rats

In the sensory preconditioning (spc) analogue to partial reinforcement, the proportion of stimulus (s) presentations that are followed by s2 is varied in the preconditioning phase. 32 experimentally naive male hooded rats received 1 of the following: 100, 50, or 25% pairings, or random presentations of tone and light, counterbalanced as s1 and s2 within groups, followed immediately by cer training to s2. Initial suppression of consummatory drinking to s1 was directly related, while resistance to extinction over 4 days of testing was inversely related to the percentage of pairings in preconditioning. Results are similar in pattern to those found in classical conditioning. (french summary) (15 ref.)