Conditional same-different discrimination by pigeons: acquisition and generalization to novel and few-item displays

Leyre Castro; Philip L Kennedy; Edward A Wasserman

doi:10.1037/a0016326

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Conditional same-different discrimination by pigeons: acquisition and generalization to novel and few-item displays

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Conditional same-different discrimination by pigeons: acquisition and generalization to novel and few-item displays

Leyre Castro, Philip L Kennedy and Edward A Wasserman

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes, Vol.36(1), pp.23-38

01/2010

DOI: 10.1037/a0016326

PMID: 20141315

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Abstract

The authors explored whether pigeons can learn to discriminate simultaneously presented arrays of 16 identical (Same) visual items from arrays of 16 nonidentical (Different) visual items, when the correct choice was conditional on the presence of another cue: the color of the background. In one experiment, pigeons rapidly learned this task and, after training with arrays created from a 72-icon set, they exhibited nearly perfect transfer to novel testing arrays. In a second experiment, pigeons' accuracy to 24-, 20-, 12-, and 8-icon arrays during later testing remained as high as accuracy to training arrays; although accuracy declined with 4- and 2-icon arrays, it was still significantly above chance. In both experiments, pigeons' choice reaction time scores nicely complemented their choice accuracy scores. These results suggest that the conditional discrimination procedure is well suited to disclose same-different discrimination in pigeons and to elucidate the interaction between perception and abstraction in conceptual learning.

Generalization (Psychology) - physiology

Animals

Photic Stimulation - methods

Concept Formation - physiology

Discrimination (Psychology) - physiology

Behavior, Animal - physiology

Reaction Time - physiology

Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology

Columbidae - physiology

Color Perception - physiology

Discrimination Learning - physiology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Conditional same-different discrimination by pigeons: acquisition and generalization to novel and few-item displays
Creators: Leyre Castro - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. leyre-castroruiz@uiowa.edu
Philip L Kennedy
Edward A Wasserman
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes, Vol.36(1), pp.23-38
DOI: 10.1037/a0016326
PMID: 20141315
NLM abbreviation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process
ISSN: 0097-7403
eISSN: 1939-2184
Publisher: American Psychological Association; United States
Language: English
Date published: 01/2010
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984070423602771

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