Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Preference for starting and finishing behavior patterns.

C P Shimp1, S L Sabulsky, L J Childers

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|November 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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

Linear responses.

Behavioural processes·2014
Same author

Tolerance in a rigorous science.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·1999
Same author

The randomization procedure in the study of categorization of multidimensional stimuli by pigeons.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes·1999
Same author

Priming of attention to local or global levels of visual analysis.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes·1998
Same author

Molar function depends on molecular structure of behavior.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes·1994
Same author

Observation and theory in behavior analysis.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·1993
Same journal

The Genoeconomics of Impulsive Intertemporal Choice: A Critical Review.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Shaping the extinction burst: Increasing its probability and preventing its emergence across topographies.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Evaluating the combined effects of effort and probability on monetary discounting.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

An improved translational approach to studying persistence-strengthening effects of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Interactions between the effects of food and water motivating operations on concurrent food- and water-reinforced responding in mice.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Odor-visual and visual-visual matching to sample with dogs.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
See all related articles
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

Pigeons' preference for starting a behavior pattern often predicted completing it, but not always. This research explores the meaning of "intention" in animal behavior, linking it to observable action patterns.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Animal Cognition

Background:

  • Understanding the basis of intention in animal behavior is crucial for cognitive science.
  • Previous research has explored choice behavior and reinforcement schedules in animals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between initiating a behavior pattern and its subsequent completion in pigeons.
  • To examine how discrimination of reinforcement availability influences this relationship.
  • To explore how these findings relate to the concept of intention.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons were trained on concurrent schedules of reinforcement for two key-pecking patterns.
  • Reinforcement delivery was contingent on completing specific interresponse times initiated by different key pecks.
  • Two experiments varied the discrimination of reinforcement availability and pattern durations.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • A strong correlation was found between the relative frequency of starting and completing behavior patterns across both experiments.
  • The relationship between starting and completing patterns was influenced by the discrimination of reinforcement availability.
  • In some conditions, a preference for starting a pattern negatively correlated with its completion likelihood.

Conclusions:

  • Pigeon behavior provides a model for understanding the observable components of intention.
  • The findings suggest that intention, in a behavioral sense, can be inferred from the initiation and completion of actions.
  • Discrimination of reinforcement schedules plays a key role in shaping the predictive relationship between action initiation and completion.