Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

An Open-Source, Fully Customizable 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task Toolbox for Automated Behavioral Training of Rodents
Published on: January 19, 2022
Response summation to a compound stimulus in a context of choice
Abstract:
Key pecks by two groups of pigeons were reinforced on concurrent schedules. For group E, pecks were reinforced during either a visual or an auditory stimulus; for group E, an additional, extinction component was available, during which both visual and auditory stimuli were absent. After training, both groups were given a compound test to measure preference among four stimuli, the three used in training plus a compound of the visual and auditory stimulus. Group E showed preference for the compound, emitting more pecks and spending more time in this stimulus than in other stimuli. Group E showed no preference between the compound and visual stimulus, nor between the auditory stimulus and the absence of both stimuli, but preferred the former pair over the latter pair of stimuli.
Related Concept Videos
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...
Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
Dose-Response Relationship: Overview
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...
Behaviorism
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
Dose-Response Relationship: Selectivity and Specificity

