To peck or not peck: Which do pigeons prefer?

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior and operant conditioning.
• Comparative psychology.

Background:

• Animals typically minimize effort for reinforcement.
• Pigeons may peck even when not required, potentially due to adventitious reinforcement.
• Comparing schedules that require pecking versus absence of pecking is crucial for understanding reinforcement principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare pigeon preference between a modified fixed-interval (FI) schedule and a differential-reinforcement-of-other behavior (DRO) schedule.
• To investigate how reinforcement schedules influence behavior when effort is a factor.
• To explore individual differences in schedule preference.

Main Methods:

• A modified fixed-interval (FI) schedule where reinforcement followed the first peck after an interval.
• A differential-reinforcement-of-other behavior (DRO) schedule requiring absence of pecking for a similar interval.
• Yoking procedure to match delay to reinforcement between schedules for 12 pigeons.

Main Results:

• Six of 12 pigeons preferred the DRO schedule over the FI schedule.
• Six pigeons showed no preference between the DRO and FI schedules.
• Indifference may be linked to stronger spatial preferences than schedule preferences.

Conclusions:

• Pigeon preference for reinforcement schedules varies.
• Behavior during the DRO schedule might influence individual preferences.
• Spatial factors can interact with or override schedule-based preferences in pigeons.