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A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
Published on: November 9, 2018
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Constantly timing, but not always controlled by time: Evidence from the midsession reversal task
Cristina Santos1, Marco Vasconcelos1, Armando Machado1
1Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Learning and Cognition
|September 13, 2021
Summary
Pigeons in a changing environment used both time and situational cues to make choices. Their decision-making dynamically balanced these cues based on reinforcement probabilities.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Animal Cognition
Background:
- Animals must adapt choices in environments where reinforcement rules change.
- Temporal and situational cues can guide decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how pigeons integrate temporal and situational cues for choice.
- To examine the dynamic influence of these cues in a midsession reversal task.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons performed a simultaneous discrimination task with a single reversal of reinforcement contingencies.
- Temporal cues were weakened by randomizing reversal timing.
- Situational cues were weakened by varying payoff probabilities.
Main Results:
- Pigeon choice was not solely based on timing or situational strategies.
- Behavior demonstrated joint control by both temporal and situational cues.
- The relative influence of cues shifted dynamically with reinforcement probabilities.
Conclusions:
- Pigeons integrate multiple cues for adaptive choice in changing environments.
- A mixture model effectively describes joint cue control in this task.
