ATTENTIONAL TRADEOFFS IN THE PIGEON
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Дата
2014-05
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JOURNAL OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR
Анотація
We deployed the Multiple Necessary Cues (MNC) discrimination task to see if pigeons can simultaneously
attend to four different dimensions of complex visual stimuli. Specifically, we trained nine pigeons
(Columba livia) on a go/no go discrimination to peck only 1 of 16 compound stimuli created from all
possible combinations of two stimulus values from four separable visual dimensions: shape (circle/square),
size (large/small), line orientation (horizontal/vertical), and brightness (dark/light). Some of the pigeons
had CLHD (circle, large, horizontal, dark) as the positive stimulus (Sþ), whereas others had SSVL (square,
small, vertical, light) as the Sþ. We recorded touchscreen pecking during the first 15 s that each stimulus
was presented on each training trial. Discrimination training continued until pigeons’ rates of responding
to all 15 negative stimuli (S-s) fell to less than 15% of their response rates to the Sþ. All pigeons acquired the
MNC discrimination, suggesting that they attended to all four dimensions of the multidimensional stimuli.
Learning rate was similar for all four dimensions, indicating equivalent salience of the discriminative
stimuli. The more dimensions along which the S-s differed from the Sþ, the faster was discrimination
learning, suggesting an added benefit from increasing perceptual disparities of the S-s from the Sþ. Finally,
evidence of attentional tradeoffs among the four dimensions was seen during discrimination learning,
raising interesting questions concerning the possible control of behavior by elemental and configural
stimuli.
Опис
Ключові слова
discrimination learning, attentional tradeoff, dimensional stimulus control, configural stimulus control, vision, touchscreen pecking, pigeon
Бібліографічний опис
Vol. 101, Issue 3. – P. 337–354.