STIMULUS GENERALIZATION ALONG A LIGHT FLICKER RATE CONTINUUM AFTER DISCRIMINATION TRAINING WITH SEVERAL S-'S

Four pigeons were trained with VI reinforcement to peck a key which was briefly illuminated by a flickering light. Generalization gradients were then obtained with nine different rates of flicker, four faster than S+ and four slower. Two birds were then trained to discriminate between S+ and the fastest stimulus (S-). These birds were then trained to discriminate between S+ and the two fastest stimuli, alternated as S-'s. This procedure was continued, adding one new S- at a time, until all four stimuli faster than S+ were S-'s. The remaining two birds were trained on this latter discrimination without intervening training. In a final stage, using the first two birds, the slowest stimulus was added as a fifth S-. Generalization gradients in extinction were obtained from each bird after each stage of training. As more stimuli from one end of the continuum served as S-'s, responding increased in the presence of stimuli from the other end of the continuum, and the gradient tended to become flattened at this end.