Journal article
Concept learning without differential reinforcement in pigeons by means of contextual cueing
Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition, Vol.42(2), pp.221-227
04/2016
DOI: 10.1037/xan0000099
PMID: 26914972
Abstract
How supervision is arranged can affect the way that humans learn concepts. Yet very little is known about the role that supervision plays in nonhuman concept learning. Prior research in pigeon concept learning has commonly used differential response-reinforcer procedures (involving high-level supervision) to support reliable discrimination and generalization involving from 4 to 16 concurrently presented photographic categories. In the present project, we used contextual cueing, a nondifferential reinforcement procedure (involving low-level supervision), to investigate concept learning in pigeons. We found that pigeons were faster to peck a target stimulus when 8 members from each of 4 categories of black-and-white photographs-dogs, trees, shoes, and keys-correctly cued its location than when they did not. This faster detection of the target also generalized to 4 untrained members from each of the 4 photographic categories. Our results thus pass the prime behavioral tests of conceptualization and suggest that high-level supervision is unnecessary to support concept learning in pigeons.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Concept learning without differential reinforcement in pigeons by means of contextual cueing
- Creators
- Kalliu C Couto - Department of Behavioural ScienceVictor M Navarro - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of IowaTatiana R Smith - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of IowaEdward A Wasserman - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition, Vol.42(2), pp.221-227
- Publisher
- United States
- DOI
- 10.1037/xan0000099
- PMID
- 26914972
- ISSN
- 2329-8456
- eISSN
- 2329-8464
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/2016
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984070981602771
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