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Complex relationship between response rate and preference in pigeons: Williams (1992) revisited.

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  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506-0044, USA. zentall@uky.edu.

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Summary

Positive contrast in animal behavior, where responding increases in an unchanged schedule component, may not stem from increased subjective value. Pigeons preferred the non-extinction component, suggesting a strategy to maximize reinforcers.

Keywords:
Anticipatory contrastBehavioral contrastChoice versus response ratePigeons

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Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Behavioral psychology
  • Operant conditioning

Background:

  • Positive contrast is typically explained by an increased subjective value of an unchanged schedule component.
  • This phenomenon is observed when one component of a multiple schedule experiences a decrease in reinforcement rate.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the underlying mechanisms of positive contrast in pigeons.
  • To challenge the traditional hypothesis that positive contrast results from increased subjective value.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons were exposed to a multiple schedule where one stimulus (A) was followed by extinction, and another (B) by a variable interval schedule.
  • Behavioral contrast (pecking rates) and stimulus preference (choice between A and B) were measured.

Main Results:

  • Pigeons exhibited higher pecking rates in stimulus A's presence (behavioral contrast).
  • However, pigeons consistently preferred stimulus B, the one not followed by extinction.
  • This preference contradicts the subjective value hypothesis.

Conclusions:

  • Positive contrast in this context may not solely result from an increased subjective value of the unchanged component.
  • The findings suggest that positive contrast could be partly driven by an organism's strategy to obtain all possible reinforcers before an extinction period begins.