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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Published on: June 2, 2014

Pigeons perform poorly on a midsession reversal task without rigid temporal regularity.

Neil McMillan¹, Christopher B Sturdy^2,3, Jeffrey M Pisklak²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada. nmcmilla@ualberta.ca.

Animal Cognition

|February 18, 2016

Summary

Pigeons did not anticipate reinforcement changes when timing was unpredictable, unlike in standard tasks. This suggests the temporal structure of experimental sessions is crucial for animals’ time-based learning.

Keywords:

Choice Interval timing Pigeons Reversal learning

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Last Updated: Mar 25, 2026

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Area of Science:

Behavioral neuroscience
Animal cognition
Learning and memory

Background:

Animals often make errors during midsession reversals of reinforcement schedules.
Predictable stimulus-time relationships typically lead to anticipatory errors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if pigeons anticipate reinforcement changes when temporal relationships are unpredictable.
To determine the role of temporal structure in animal decision-making during contingency reversals.

Main Methods:

Pigeons performed a simultaneous choice task with randomized or alternated reinforcement contingencies.
Response patterns were compared to standard midsession reversal procedures.
Probe tests manipulated inter-trial intervals to assess temporal control.

Main Results:

Pigeons exhibited more overall errors than in standard procedures.
Anticipatory errors before contingency reversals were absent.
Temporal manipulation had minimal impact on behavior, indicating reduced reliance on session timing.

Conclusions:

Unpredictable temporal structures disrupt anticipatory behavior in pigeons.
The temporal organization of trials significantly influences how animals utilize time in learning.
Pigeons' errors are influenced by the predictability of reinforcement schedules over time.