Timing and choice in concurrent chains.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral neuroscience
• Animal cognition
• Learning and memory

Background:

• Timing processes are crucial for decision-making.
• Current models, like scalar expectancy theory, link choice behavior to internal representations of reinforcement delays.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how timing processes influence choice behavior.
• To examine if pigeons adjust choices based on altered reinforcement delays within a concurrent-chains procedure.

Main Methods:

• Pigeons were trained on a peak procedure with varying delays (10-40s).
• The peak procedure was embedded within concurrent chains, allowing simultaneous measurement of choice and timing.
• Reinforcement delays were altered mid-experiment to test choice flexibility.

Main Results:

• Pigeons accurately timed delays in the terminal links, as shown by their performance on no-food trials.
• Choice responding did not change despite modifications to the terminal link delays.
• Temporal control of responding on no-food trials remained consistent across procedures.

Conclusions:

• Choice behavior may not be solely mediated by representations of terminal link delays.
• Pigeons' choice and timing can be influenced by temporal information from distinct epochs within a session.
• Findings challenge existing timing-based choice models like scalar expectancy theory.