Tactile conditioning of an autonomic and somatic response in young infants

Tactile classical conditioning of an autonomic reflex (pupillary dilation and constriction) and a somatic response (eyeblinking) was attempted in two separate experiments with one-month-old infants. The tactile CS was effective for conditioning eyeblinking but was ineffective for elaborating conditional pupillary reflex dilation or constriction. These differences were related to the interaction between stimulus and response in infant conditioning and the source of nervous system innervation of the CR as it relates to conditionability.