[The formation of a complex habit in Black Sea bottle-nosed dolphins under free-choice conditions]

In experiment situation was created of "free choice", which was characterized by the reinforcement of any succession of bottle-nosed dolphin action on the manipulators, placed in the open-air cage under the condition of pressing three definite levers in the required order independently of the number of "superfluous" reactions before and between necessary actions. In the first series of the experiments with eight above-water levers no succession of actions leading to the reinforcement was formed in the bottle-nosed dolphin [correction of aphaline]. In the second series with eight under-water manipulators--both experimental dolphins regularly reached the reinforcement. Stereotype trajectories of movements in the cage were formed, which included swimming past the levers and successive actions on them. Minimum chain of motor reactions was not formed, though some of "superfluous" levers were not pressed. At solving the task efferent generalization in dolphins in both series of experiments was manifested in two ways: the animals reacted in different ways on one and the same manipulator and pressed different levers.