A Reevaluation of Rescorla's Early Dictums About Pavlovian Conditioned Inhibition

• Published in: Psychological bulletin 1992-03, Vol.111 (2), p.275-290
• Main Authors: Williams, Douglas A, Overmier, J. Bruce, LoLordo, Vincent M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal training; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Classical conditioning; Conditioned Suppression; Empirical Methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Inhibition; Learning. Memory; Motivation; Pavlov, Ivan Petrovich (1849-1936); Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social research; Theories
• ISSN: 0033-2909; 1939-1455
• DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.111.2.275

Rescorla's (1969) recommendations concerning the logical and empirical operations for inferring Pavlovian conditioned inhibition were examined in light of modern comparison theories of Pavlovian conditioning and new data that question whether excitation and inhibition are opposite ends of a single continuum of associative strength. This reanalysis confirms Rescorla's dictum that the summation and retardation tests are a sufficient basis for inferring inhibition. No theoretical or empirical challenges since 1969 undermine the heuristic or explanatory power of that concept. However, passing both of his two operational tests may not be necessary: A conditioned stimulus may be inhibitory, yet may not pass one or the other test. Recent changes in the conception of inhibition also are reviewed and it is suggested that there may be other forms of associatively based inhibition that are not at all antagonistic to excitation.