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Related Experiment Videos

Behaviors observed during S- in a simple discrimination learning task.

J F Rand

    Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    |January 1, 1977
    PubMed
    Summary

    Pigeons learned to peck a key for food when a horizontal line was present, but not a vertical one. Behavior shifted based on the line

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    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral psychology
    • Animal behavior studies

    Background:

    • Pigeons were trained to perform key pecking for food reinforcement.
    • Differential reinforcement was established using visual stimuli: a horizontal line for reinforcement and a vertical line for non-reinforcement.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate how pigeons allocate their time and adjust their response tempo between key pecking and stereotyped behaviors under differential reinforcement conditions.
    • To determine the roles of time allocation and response tempo in behavioral contrast.

    Main Methods:

    • Pigeons were exposed to a horizontal line (reinforcement) and a vertical line (non-reinforcement).
    • Key pecking and stereotyped non-key-pecking behaviors were observed and recorded.
    • Generalization tests with intermediate stimuli were conducted to assess behavioral shifts.
    • Response rates (running rates) and time spent on key pecking were analyzed.

    Main Results:

    • Pigeons spent more time key pecking with the horizontal line and engaged in stereotyped behaviors with the vertical line.
    • Intermediate stimuli resulted in intermediate proportions of both behaviors.
    • Running rates (response tempo) were similar across stimuli, suggesting time allocation was the primary factor in behavioral contrast.
    • During differential performance development, increased running rates were observed alongside increased key pecking time for the horizontal line.

    Conclusions:

    • Behavioral contrast in pigeons is primarily driven by changes in time allocation between different behavioral categories.
    • Response tempo (running rate) can also contribute to behavioral contrast, particularly during the acquisition of differential performance.
    • The study highlights the interplay between time allocation and response tempo in shaping overall behavioral output under discriminative control.

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