It's not all the same to pigeons: Representations of difference may be shared across species

Ellen M O'Donoghue; Francisca Diaz; Victor M Navarro; Edward A Wasserman

doi:10.3758/s13423-021-02026-4

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It's not all the same to pigeons: Representations of difference may be shared across species

Journal article

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It's not all the same to pigeons: Representations of difference may be shared across species

Ellen M O'Donoghue, Francisca Diaz, Victor M Navarro and Edward A Wasserman

Psychonomic bulletin & review, Vol.29(3), pp.882-890

12/16/2021

DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02026-4

PMID: 34918274

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Abstract

Pigeons readily learn and transfer same-different discriminations in a variety of experimental paradigms. However, strategically designed probe tests suggest that they might only represent sameness. Here, we provide the first direct evidence that pigeons also represent difference. We first trained pigeons on a conditional same-different discrimination; then, on probe trials, we replaced either the same-item pair or the different-item pair with a familiar, but ambiguous stimulus. On different-cued probe trials, pigeons' choices were controlled by sameness: they reliably rejected the same-item pair, but they did not reliably select the different-item pair. Conversely, on same-cued probe trials, pigeons' choices were controlled by difference: they reliably rejected the different-item pair, but they did not reliably select the same-item pair. Together, these findings demonstrate that pigeons can represent both sameness and difference, providing an important clue to elucidating the evolutionary origins of same-different conceptualization.

Stimulus representation

Same-different concepts

Reject-control

Pigeon

Details

Title: Subtitle: It's not all the same to pigeons: Representations of difference may be shared across species
Creators: Ellen M O'Donoghue - University of Iowa
Francisca Diaz - University of Iowa
Victor M Navarro - University of Iowa
Edward A Wasserman - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Psychonomic bulletin & review, Vol.29(3), pp.882-890
DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02026-4
PMID: 34918274
NLM abbreviation: Psychon Bull Rev
ISSN: 1069-9384
eISSN: 1531-5320
Language: English
Date published: 12/16/2021
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984202255602771

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