Cartesian Reflex Project

Background Information

Rabbit Eyeblink Conditioning (Click images to make larger)

Rabbit eyeblink movements are monitored with a potentiometer mounted on each rabbit’s head and connected to the right and left eyelids (Brandon et al., 1998).

Two rabbits being run at the same time. They are individually restrained in Plexiglas holders within ventilated and soundproof file drawers.

The screen shows bilateral CR waveforms for two rabbits on a CS-alone test trial. The right and left eyes were trained with CS--US intervals of 300 and 700 ms, respectively. The right and left US (eye shock) occurred on different training trials. The test trial on the computer screen illustrates asynchronous temporally specific reactions produced by this training regime.

Rabbit lab: The computer also controls the presentation of the CS and the US.

References Brandon, S. E., Logan, B., Cox, N., Wagner, A. R. (1998). A device for concurrent bilateral measurement of outer eyelid closure in the rabbit. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 30, 406-410.
Gormezano, I. (1966). Classical Conditioning. In J. B. Sidowski (Ed.), Experimental methods and instrumentation in psychology (pp. 385-420). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.