Relative temporal representations in Pavlovian conditioning

Abstract

The transfer of relative temporal representations was assessed in a series of three experiments. In each experiment, rats (Rattus norvegicus) received one set of conditioned stimulus (CS) and intertrial interval (ITI) durations in Phase 1 and another set in Phase 2. The ratio between the CS and ITI intervals was either changed or maintained across phases. On the hypothesis that relative temporal representations are learned, groups receiving maintained temporal ratios across phases were expected to display greater change in responding upon encountering the new intervals. When the CS duration decreased across phases, maintaining the temporal ratio did lead to greater change in Day 1 of Phase 2 towards the final pattern of responding. However, when the CS increased across phases, maintaining the temporal ratio across phases did not facilitate adjustment to the new intervals, suggesting that extinction of previously reinforced times induced new learning. These results provide evidence that under some conditions, relative relationships in temporal maps may survive transformation-of-scale, like relative relationships in spatial maps.