Pigeons Learn Signal-Food Intervals Independently in a Multiple Peak Procedure

Title
Pigeons Learn Signal-Food Intervals Independently in a Multiple Peak Procedure
Publication Date
2014
Author(s)
Rice, Nathaniel
Grace, Randolph C
Kyonka, Elizabeth
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7974-6080
Email: ekyonka@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:ekyonka
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1037/xan0000011
UNE publication id
une:21081
Abstract
Previous research has shown rapid learning of multiple temporal relations between signals and food by pigeons when these relations are changed unpredictably each session (Kyonka & Grace, 2007). The goal of the present study was to test whether contextual temporal cues-that is, an alternative signal-food delay that was a valid predictor of a target signal-food delay-facilitated acquisition by the target contingency. Four pigeons responded in a multiple peak-interval procedure in which red and green keys signaled separate fixed-interval (FI) schedules with occasional extinction probes (peak trials). The schedule parameters of the FIs either summed to 30 s (correlated condition ρ = −1.0) or were not restricted to sum to 30 s (uncorrelated condition ρ = 0.0). Comparing stop times obtained from peak trials in the 2 conditions revealed no effect of context: Temporal control of responding was acquired at the same rate and with the same precision regardless of whether the schedule values were correlated. These results suggest that pigeons learn about multiple signal-food delays independently.
Link
Citation
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 40(2), p. 241-248
ISSN
2329-8464
2329-8456
Start page
241
End page
248

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink