Effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide on establishment, elicitation, and semantic and phonemic generalization of classically conditioned skin conductance responses

Robert I Block; M.M Ghoneim; Don C Fowles; Viney Kumar; Dhirendra Pathak

doi:10.1016/0091-3057(87)90003-7

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Effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide on establishment, elicitation, and semantic and phonemic generalization of classically conditioned skin conductance responses

Journal article

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Effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide on establishment, elicitation, and semantic and phonemic generalization of classically conditioned skin conductance responses

Robert I Block, M.M Ghoneim, Don C Fowles, Viney Kumar and Dhirendra Pathak

Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior, Vol.28(1), pp.7-14

1987

DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(87)90003-7

PMID: 3659107

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Abstract

Classical conditioning of skin conductance responses was studied in 16 men and 16 women breathing nitrous oxide or 100% oxygen to see how nitrous oxide affected establishment, elicitation, and generalization of conditioned responses (CRs). For CRs that had been established before gas inhalation, nitrous oxide blocked elicitation of “anticipatory” (long latency) but not “orienting” (short latency) CRs. Nitrous oxide appeared to prevent new CRs from being established during its inhalation, but learning evidently took place since anticipatory CRs could be elicited after nitrous oxide inhalation had ceased. Words were used as the conditioned stimuli and nitrous oxide altered generalization of CRs to other words related in meaning or sound, though generalization effects were limited. Nitrous oxide also seemed to reduce the efficacy of the unconditioned stimulus. The results were interpreted in terms of Rescorla's theory of classical conditioning.

Memory

Electrodermal response

Anesthesia

Skin conductance

Nitrous oxide

Recall

Conditioning

Semantic conditioning Generalization

Galvanic skin response

Classical conditioning

Details

Title: Subtitle: Effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide on establishment, elicitation, and semantic and phonemic generalization of classically conditioned skin conductance responses
Creators: Robert I Block - Department of Anesthesia University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
M.M Ghoneim - Department of Anesthesia University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Don C Fowles - Departments of Psychology University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Viney Kumar - Department of Anesthesia University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Dhirendra Pathak - Department of Anesthesia University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior, Vol.28(1), pp.7-14
Publisher: Elsevier Inc
DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(87)90003-7
PMID: 3659107
ISSN: 0091-3057
eISSN: 1873-5177
Language: English
Date published: 1987
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Anesthesia
Record Identifier: 9984007172202771

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