Retroactive Effect of Interpolated Visual Stimulation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13673603 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert Thompson (0009-0009-2526-9616, Louisiana State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1957 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 183-188 |
| Publication date | 1957-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2466/pr0.1957.3.3.183 |
| OpenAlex | W2014233885 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 8 |
In a previous study, Thompson and Bryanr (8) showed that the interpolation of maximal light stimulation has a detrimental effect on the memory of a visual discrimination habit. Two groups of rats were given training on a horizontal-vertical discrimination problem after which one group was immediately placed in a dark room for 48 hr., while the other group was kept in a lighted room for a corresponding interval. Better retention scores were obtained in the group receiving minimal visual stimulation. These results were explained in terms of differential neural activity within the striate cortex where in rats the memory traces for visual habits appear to be localized. The present experiment attempted to determine which one of the two main theories of retroactive inhibition more adequately accounts for these data. According to the perseveration theory (5, lo), the interpolation of maximal visual stimulation might be conceived as partially depressing perseverative activity after original learning. This decrement in the perseverative process would lead to a reduction in the fixation or consolidation of the memory trace. According to a transfer theory (cf. 3), on the other hand, the opportunity for new visual learning would be present in the group kept in the lighted room. These newly formed visual habits acquired during the interpolated period would cause retroactive inhibition through competition among responses resulting from similarity between the original learning and the interpolated learning. Specifically, the present study involved the interpolation of light stimulation at varying periods after the completion of training on a visual discrimination problem. On the basis of a perseveration theory, interference would be maximal if light stimulation were introduced immediately after training. This prediction, however, does not follow from a transfer theory which makes no assumptions about a perseverative process
Audiology · Cognitive psychology · Stimulation · Medicine · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Neural dynamics and brain function · Neuroscience · Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research · Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.05 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1961 - 1966 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |