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Related Experiment Videos

A Simon effect in pigeons.

Peter J Urcuioli1, Kim-Phuong L Vu, Robert W Proctor

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2081, USA. uche@psych.purdue.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|February 11, 2005
PubMed
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Pigeons exhibit the Simon effect, responding faster when a color cue matches the required key location. This demonstrates that symbolic cues activate spatial codes in pigeons, similar to humans.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The Simon effect is a well-documented phenomenon in human spatial cognition.
  • It describes faster reaction times when a stimulus's location is congruent with the required response location.
  • Investigating this effect in non-human animals can reveal fundamental mechanisms of spatial processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if pigeons exhibit the Simon effect.
  • To explore whether symbolic cues activate spatial codes in pigeons.
  • To compare spatial processing in pigeons and humans.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons were trained to peck left or right keys based on color cues at specific locations.
  • Response latencies were measured under various conditions of stimulus-response congruence.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Human participants performed a similar key-touching task.

    • Main Results:

    • Pigeons showed shorter response latencies when the color cue location matched the required response location, demonstrating the Simon effect.
    • This effect persisted across different trial conditions and reinforcement schedules.
    • Human participants also exhibited the Simon effect in the analogous task.

    Conclusions:

    • Symbolic cues, like color, can activate spatial codes in pigeons, influencing response selection.
    • The findings suggest shared fundamental mechanisms of spatial cognition between pigeons and humans.
    • This research provides evidence for the cross-species generality of the Simon effect and spatial coding.