Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Acquisition versus steady state in the time-left experiment.

Armando Machado1, Marco Vasconcelos

  • 1Instituto de Educação e Psicologia; University of Minho, 4710 Braga, Portugal. armandom@iep.uminho.pt

Behavioural Processes
|December 14, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Scalar expectancy theory (SET) predictions for the time-left procedure were tested in pigeons. Results showed preference changed during testing, contrary to SET, leading to a new descriptive model.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Temporal and nontemporal control in a midsession reversal task with variable intertrial intervals.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same author

The 'less-is-better' effect in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.): Some data and a contrast-like hypothesis.

Behavioural processes·2025
Same author

Starlings solve the ephemeral reward task.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2025
Same author

Reversal learning and aging: Exploring simple discrimination learning, learning-set, and functional classes.

Learning & behavior·2025
Same author

Midsession Reversal Task with Variable Trial Spacings: Further Tests of the Timing Hypothesis with Starlings.

Perspectives on behavior science·2025
Same author

Pigeons' performance in the number-left task: Associative or computational mechanism?

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2025

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral psychology
  • Animal cognition
  • Operant conditioning

Background:

  • Scalar expectancy theory (SET) is a prominent model explaining timing behavior.
  • The time-left procedure is used to study interval timing and choice behavior.
  • Previous research has established SET's utility in various timing tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the predictive accuracy of scalar expectancy theory (SET) in the time-left procedure.
  • To investigate how pigeons' choice behavior changes over time during interval timing tasks.
  • To develop a new model if SET fails to account for observed behavioral patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons were trained on two fixed-interval (FI) schedules (FI 30s and FI 60s) with distinct keys.
  • Test trials involved presenting one key followed by a second key after a variable delay (T).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Choice between keys was recorded across different T values and FI parameters in two conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Pigeons' key preference significantly changed during test trials, contradicting SET predictions.
    • A strong, exclusive preference for one key was observed within each test trial.
    • At steady state, pigeon behavior mirrored that of rats in similar timing tasks.

    Conclusions:

    • Scalar expectancy theory (SET) does not fully account for choice behavior in the time-left procedure.
    • Learning appears to occur during the test phase, influencing preference.
    • A novel descriptive model was proposed and demonstrated a good fit to the experimental data.