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Control of responding by stimulus duration.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|July 1, 1971
Summary
Pigeons trained with differential timeout durations learned to associate behavior with timeout length. However, this control diminished with continued exposure to varied timeout schedules, impacting pigeon learning.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Animal Cognition
Background:
- Pigeons (Columba livia) are widely used in behavioral studies.
- Understanding stimulus control in operant conditioning is crucial for behavioral analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how pigeons learn to discriminate between different timeout durations.
- To examine the long-term effects of differential training on stimulus control.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were trained using a variable-interval schedule with differential timeout durations.
- Generalization tests were conducted to assess response rates across varying timeout lengths.
- Nondifferential and differential training procedures were employed sequentially.
Main Results:
- Initial nondifferential training showed no discrimination based on timeout duration.
- Differential training gradually established control of behavior by timeout duration.
- Continued training on a maintained generalization procedure led to a decrease in timeout duration control.
Conclusions:
- Differential reinforcement procedures can establish stimulus control over behavior in pigeons.
- The established stimulus control is susceptible to modification with continued exposure to varied schedules.