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Complex relationship between response rate and preference in pigeons: Williams (1992) revisited
Thomas R Zentall1, Daniel N Peng2, Laiba Rasul2
1Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506-0044, USA. zentall@uky.edu.
Learning & Behavior
|December 20, 2024
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.
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.
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