Effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide on establishment, elicitation, and semantic and phonemic generalization of classically conditioned skin conductance responses.
Classical conditioning of skin conductance responses was studied in 16 men and 16 women breathing 30% 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.
Block
R I
RI
Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
Ghoneim
M M
MM
Fowles
D C
DC
Kumar
V
V
Pathak
D
D
D000328:Adult; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012660:Semantics
D009609:Nitrous Oxide