Post-pretraining overshadowing of each CSs in artificial neural networks and rats

Abstract

The effect of the pretraining order of each Conditioned Stimulus (CS) on overshadowing and mutual overshadowing is studied. Overshadowing is the effect with a greater response to a more intense CS than to a less intense one. Mutual overshadowing implies comparable responses to the two CSs presented in composite, when they have similar intensities. The artificial neural network model was used to predict the results of exposure to two CSs, under a mutual overshadowing and overshadowing preparation. An experiment was designed to test the predictions of the model using the conditioned suppression preparation in rats. The simulations suggested an attenuation of overshadowing. Rats showed overshadowing attenuation, regardless of the pretraining order of the CSs. No significant differences were found in mutual overshadowing between pretraining each CS, regardless of their order, and directly training the compound, both in the networks and in the rats.