Discrimination facilitation as a function of differential choice-point delay

Abstract

Sixty rats experienced differential delay contingencies to ascertain how cue visibility related to choice-point delay in a black-white discrimination problem. Ss experiencing no delay at the choice point took longer to learn the discrimination than Ss experiencing cue visibility during an enforced choice-point delay. Cue visibility during the whole 4-sec delay period, first half of the delay period, and last half of the delay period, produced similar learning rates. The data indicate that the delay vs “;stirred-up”; state controversy is more complex than would be suggested by an analysis based on cue visibility time or “;stirred-up”; state of an animal.