Individual variation in the vigor and form of Pavlovian conditioned responses: Analysis of a model system

Pavlovian conditioning results in individual variation in the vigor and form of acquired behaviors. Here, we describe a general-process model of associative learning (HeiDI; How excitation and inhibition determine ideo-motion) that provides an analysis for such variation together with a range of other important group-level phenomena. The model takes as its starting point the idea that pairings of a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US) result in the formation of reciprocal associations between their central representations. The asymptotic values of these associations and the rate at which these are reached are held to be influenced by the perceived salience of the CS (α(CS)) and US (β(US)). Importantly, whether this associative knowledge is exhibited in behavior that reflects the properties of the CS (e.g., sign-tracking) or US (e.g., goal-tracking) is also influenced by the relative values of α(CS) and β(US). In this way, HeiDI provides an analysis for both quantitative and qualitative individual differences generated by Pavlovian conditioning procedures.