Poster #7 - Exploring Individual and Sex Differences in Trace Eyeblink Conditioning (EBC) in 4- to 6- year olds

• In Event: Poster Session 09

Abstract

Trace Eyeblink Conditioning (EBC) is a novel technique used to gain a better understanding of hippocampal and cerebral-dependent learning that has been previously employed in both adults and animal subject models. EBC is a form of Pavlovian conditioning that uses tone and air puff pairings to over time develop a learned association of the two stimuli within a subject. This study uses EBC to evaluate children’s conditioned responses in order to gain a better understanding of developmental changes in the hippocampus and its role in associative learning.
Sixty-seven typically developing 4- to 6- years olds completed a trace EBC task. The task consisted of a conditioned stimulus presentation (i.e., tone) followed by a 500-ms trace period of no stimulus presentation and a subsequent unconditioned stimulus (i.e., air puff to eye). Responses to stimuli (i.e., eye blinks) were measured. Children were instructed to watch a silent movie for approximately 15 minutes for the duration of stimuli presentation. The EBC task consisted of 104 trials, one block of 4 practice trials to acclimate children to the stimuli and 10 blocks of test trials. Each test block consisted of 10 trials: 8- paired tone and air puff trials, 1- puff alone trial administered halfway through paired trials, and a final tone alone trial.
We plan to examine individual differences in associative learning as measured by our Conditioned Responses (CR) during test trials. CR is defined as the number of Eye Blinks occurring during trace period following the presentation of tone in paired trials and tone alone trials and prior to onset of unconditioned stimulus in paired trials, for a total of 90 CR trials. A repeated measures ANOVA will be conducted to examine changes in CR (%) with the goal of assessing (1) overall changes in learning across trial blocks, as well as (2) sex and (3) age related developmental differences in performance. We expect to see an increase in CR (%) across trial blocks, which should reflect learning of the association over the course of the trials. We predict there will be age-related increases in CR such that older children will be more likely to learn the association. We also will explore whether there are any sex differences in associative learning, though we have no a priori prediction of there being a sex difference. These findings will serve to enhance understanding of how associative learning develops throughout childhood. We plan to have analysis completed prior to conference date.

Authors

• Hannah Marie Bowley, Florida International University
  Presenting Author

• Yinbo Wu, Florida International University

• Priscilla Lioi

• Vanessa Vieites, Rutgers University - New Brunswick

• Yvonne Ralph, University of Texas at Tyler

• Shannon Marie Pruden, Florida International University

• Anthony Steven Dick, Florida International University

• Aaron Mattfeld, Florida International University

• Timothy Hayes, Florida International University

• Amanda Renfro

• Melanie Rengel, Florida International University