Discrimination Learning as the Summation of Excitation and Inhibition

Pigeons received either excitatory, inhibitory, or combined excitatory and inhibitory (intradimensional) training to discriminate line-tilt stimuli. Algebraic summation of relative-generalization gradients obtained after separate excitatory and inhibitory training sessions was used to predict characteristics of gradients after intradimensional training. The good agreement between obtained and predicted gradients provided support for gradient-interaction theory.