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Pigeons perform poorly on a midsession reversal task without rigid temporal regularity
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- Author(s) / Creator(s)
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Animals make surprising anticipatory and perseverative errors when faced with a midsession reversal of
reinforcer contingencies on a choice task with highly predictable stimulus–time relationships. In the current study,
we asked whether pigeons would anticipate changes in
reinforcement when the reinforcer contingencies for each
stimulus were not fixed in time. We compared the
responses of pigeons on a simultaneous choice task when
the initially correct stimulus was randomized or alternated
across sessions. Pigeons showed more errors overall compared with the typical results of a standard midsession
reversal procedure, and they did not show the typical
anticipatory errors prior to the contingency reversal. Probe
tests that manipulated the spacing between trials also
suggested that timing of the session exerted little control of
pigeons’ behavior. The temporal structure of the experimental session thus appears to be an important determinant
for animals’ use of time in midsession reversal procedures. -
- Date created
- 2016-02-17
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Type of Item
- Article (Published)