Superordinate Category Formation in Pigeons: Association With a Common Delay or Probability of Food Reinforcement Makes Perceptually Dissimilar Stimuli Functionally Equivalent

Suzette L Astley; Edward A Wasserman

doi:10.1037/0097-7403.25.4.415

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Superordinate Category Formation in Pigeons: Association With a Common Delay or Probability of Food Reinforcement Makes Perceptually Dissimilar Stimuli Functionally Equivalent

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Superordinate Category Formation in Pigeons: Association With a Common Delay or Probability of Food Reinforcement Makes Perceptually Dissimilar Stimuli Functionally Equivalent

Suzette L Astley and Edward A Wasserman

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes, Vol.25(4), pp.415-432

10/1999

DOI: 10.1037/0097-7403.25.4.415

PMID: 10531658

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Abstract

Training associated pairs of perceptually dissimilar stimulus classes with a common delay or probability of food reinforcement in pigeons. Then, different choice responses were trained to 1 component class in each pair. In a choice test, the untrained class in each pair occasioned the same response as did the choice-trained class. In a 3rd experiment, 2 classes had reinforcement delays of 1 s and 15 s, respectively, and 2 other classes had reinforcement probabilities of 0.1 and 0.9. Then, 1 choice response was reinforced to a class previously associated with a better condition of reinforcement (e.g., 1-s delay or 1.0 probability), and a different response was reinforced to a class previously associated with a worse condition of reinforcement (0.1 probability or 0-s delay). Testing with all classes suggested that categorization was based on the relative reinforcement or hedonic value and not on the parametric details of reinforcement.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Superordinate Category Formation in Pigeons: Association With a Common Delay or Probability of Food Reinforcement Makes Perceptually Dissimilar Stimuli Functionally Equivalent
Creators: Suzette L Astley - Department of Psychology, Cornell College
Edward A Wasserman - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes, Vol.25(4), pp.415-432
DOI: 10.1037/0097-7403.25.4.415
PMID: 10531658
NLM abbreviation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process
ISSN: 0097-7403
eISSN: 1939-2184
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Language: English
Date published: 10/1999
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984070871702771

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