Mechanisms of Associative Learning
{'Code': '08090300', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Fred Stollnitz', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Associative learning is one of the basic processes of knowledge                 acquisition and one that has historically been held to be central to            human cognition (as it is in current "connectionist" or                         "adaptive-network" models).  One approach to understanding the                  fundamental theoretical and neurobiological mechanisms involved is              through investigation of classical conditioning with animal subjects,           where the pairing of a conditonal stimulus (CS) and unconditional               stimulus (US) causes the CS to take on behavioral effects related to            those originally produced by the US.                                                                                                                            Dr. Wagner's research, which makes use of classical conditioning in the         rabbit, is in this general vein.  The particular focus of this project          is on a question that has equal implications for pursuing the                   neurobiological substrates of conditioning and for the development of           abstract computational models.  Dr. Wagner and his associates will              investigate the possibility that associations that involve the                  "emotional" consequences of a US are categorically distinguishable from         associations involving specific sensory-motor consequences.  At issue is        whether or not the two classes of association are differentially                influenced by the conditions of training and have different forms of            behavioral consequence (notably, with sensory-motor association being           identified with the elicitation of specific conditional responses while         emotional associations have modulating effects on otherwise-elicited            conditional and unconditional responses).  If upheld by the results of          Dr. Wagner's research, the distinction would encourage a hierarchical,          adaptive-network extension of existing models of associative learning.
{'FirstName': 'Allan', 'LastName': 'Wagner', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'R', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Allan R Wagner', 'EmailAddress': 'wagner@yalevm.cis.yale.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000392837', 'StartDate': '08/15/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Yale University', 'CityName': 'NEW HAVEN', 'ZipCode': '065113572', 'PhoneNumber': '2037854689', 'StreetAddress': '150 MUNSON ST', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Connecticut', 'StateCode': 'CT', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '03', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'CT03', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'FL6GV84CKN57', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'YALE UNIV', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'FL6GV84CKN57'}
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[{'Code': '1160', 'Text': 'IBN ANIMAL BEHAVIOR'}, {'Code': '9145', 'Text': 'SPECIAL PROGRAMS-RESERVE'}]
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