Sobreaprendizaje y restablecimiento en la respuesta consumatoria

FREIDIN, E.; TREJO, M.E.; MUSTACA, A.E.

REVISTA LATINOAMERICANA DE PSICOLOGíA

Año: 2005 vol. 37 p. 167 - 180

0120-0534

Mammals show more resistance to extinction when they receive fewer acquisition trials than when they receive more acquisition trials (overlearning extinction effect, ESE). In addition, if we expose the subject to a situation similar to the training context, the extinguished response reappears (reinstatement, R). We studied the relationship between the number of acquisition sessions and the subsequent extinction responses in a consummatory situation in rats. In the experiment, two groups of animals received either 108 or 36 acquisition sessions. During those sessions, animals had 5-min access to a 32% sucrose solution and were subsequently shifted to extinction (access to an empty sipper tube) during 12 sessions. Then, we used a reinstatement procedure, in which half of the animals were exposed to the sucrose solution just before their respective 13th y 14th extinction sessions comparing their performance with those of  on-preexposed subjects. Goal-tracking time (time spent near the sipper tube) and latency time to reach the sipper tube were used as the dependent measures. Subjects from group 36 showed a faster extinction of goal tracking and latency than subjects from group 108. Nevertheless, we found a reinstatement of the latency response in both groups, but this was larger for the group with fewer acquisition sessions; no differences were observed in goaltracking time. Results are discussed in the context of evidence pointing to a dissociation of consummatory and instrumental behavior.