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Associative Symmetry In The Pigeon After Successive Matching-To-Sample Training
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Associative Symmetry In The Pigeon After Successive Matching-To-Sample Training

Andrea J Frank and Edward A Wasserman
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, Vol.84(2), pp.147-165
09/2005
DOI: 10.1901/jeab.2005.115-04
PMCID: PMC1243977
PMID: 16262184
url
https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2005.115-04View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

If an organism is explicitly taught an A→B association, then might it also spontaneously learn the symmetrical B→A association? Little evidence attests to such “associative symmetry” in nonhuman animals. We report for the first time a clear case of associative symmetry in the pigeon. Experiment 1 used a successive go/no go matching-to-sample procedure, which showed all of the training and testing stimuli in one location and intermixed arbitrary and identity matching trials. We found symmetrical responding that was as robust during testing (B→A) as during training (A→B). In Experiment 2, we trained different pigeons using only arbitrary matching trials before symmetry testing. No symmetrical responding was found. In Experiment 3, we trained other pigeons with only arbitrary matching trials and then tested for symmetry. When these pigeons, too, did not exhibit symmetrical responding, we retrained them with intermixed identity and arbitrary matching trials. Less robust symmetrical responding was obtained here than in Experiment 1. Collectively, these results suggest that identity matching may have to be learned concurrently with arbitrary matching from the outset of training for symmetry to emerge.
 successive matching-to-sample key peck no go reinforcement schedule pigeons symmetry stimulus equivalence

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