Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Concept Videos

Associative Learning01:27

Associative Learning

1.7K
Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
1.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Nociceptor circadian clock genes control excitability and pain perception in mice in a sex- and time-dependent manner.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Targeted inhibition of protein synthesis renders cancer cells vulnerable to apoptosis by unfolded protein response.

Cell death & disease·2023
Same author

Modulating perceptual learning indexed by the face inversion effect: Simulating the application of transcranial direct current stimulation using the MKM model.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2023
Same author

Animal cognition, past present and future, a 25th anniversary special issue.

Animal cognition·2022
Same author

Predictors of psychological stress and behavioural diversity among captive red panda in Indian zoos and their implications for global captive management.

Scientific reports·2022
Same author

Age-related reduction of hemispheric asymmetry by pigeons: A behavioral and FDG-PET imaging investigation of visual discrimination.

Learning & behavior·2022
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

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning
11:20

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

Published on: June 2, 2014

12.5K

Task-switching in pigeons: Associative learning or executive control?

Christina Meier1, Stephen E G Lea1, Ian P L McLaren1

  • 1Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Learning and Cognition
|April 8, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Pigeons did not exhibit task-switching costs, suggesting associative learning, not executive control, drives these costs. This indicates that learned associations, particularly Pavlovian conditioned approach, may explain task-switch costs in humans and models.

More Related Videos

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia
06:14

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia

Published on: September 7, 2018

6.8K
Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
08:30

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

21.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning
11:20

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

Published on: June 2, 2014

12.5K
A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia
06:14

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia

Published on: September 7, 2018

6.8K
Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
08:30

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

21.7K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Animal behavior
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Task-switching costs are traditionally linked to executive control.
  • However, switch costs also appear without explicit task-sets or in computational models, suggesting alternative explanations.
  • Associative learning has been proposed as a potential driver of these costs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of cognitive processes in task-switch costs.
  • To determine if associative learning contributes to task-switch costs.
  • To examine task-switching behavior in pigeons to understand underlying mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons performed two tasks on the same stimuli in rapid alternation.
  • Performance was analyzed for the presence of switch costs.
  • Pearce's (1987) stimulus generalization model was applied to interpret results.

Main Results:

  • Pigeons demonstrated no detectable switch costs.
  • Performance on trial N was influenced by trial N-1, indicating sensitivity to sequential effects.
  • Associative learning, specifically Pavlovian conditioned approach, was identified as the likely mechanism.

Conclusions:

  • Associative learning processes, rather than executive control, can account for the absence of task-switch costs.
  • Pavlovian conditioned approach in pigeons explains the lack of switch costs.
  • Switch costs in humans and models may arise from instrumental learning and cue equivalence for task signaling.