Second-order conditioning of the pigeon's key-peck using an autoshaping procedure

Second-order conditioning of the pigeon's key-peck was established using an autoshaping procedure. In the first experiment, pigeons came to peck a response key, the second-order conditioned stimulus (CS2), when it was paired with another key (CS1) that had previously been paired with food delivery. In the second experiment, pigeons again came to peck a key (CS2) when it was followed by a clicker (CS1) which had been paired with food delivery, even though the clicker itself had not evoked pecking. Responses to a second-order stimulus, therefore, need not resemble responses to the first-order CS. Furthermore, in both experiments, extinction of the first-order IS led to reduction in pecking CS2. These results were discussed in terms of the nature of the associations being formed during second-order conditioning.