Abstract
The location of pigeons was monitored during illuminations of a key (CS) presented in a positive, zero, or negative relationship with food for different groups of subjects. Birds approached a signal positively correlated with food and withdrew from a negatively correlated signal. When the probability of food in the absence of CS was increased from 0 to .2 while the probability of food during CS remained constant at .4, approach to CS declined. When the probability of food during CS increased from 0 to .2 while the probability of food in CS absence remained constant at .4, withdrawal from CS declined. No consistent approach or withdrawal appeared when the probability of food was the same (.4) during the presence and absence of CS. Our approach-withdrawal assay of positive and negative associative strength, which allows trial-by-trial measurement of overt performance during excitatory or inhibitory conditioning, was used to assess several predictions of the Rescorla-Wagner model of Pavlovian conditioning.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hearst, E., & Franklin, S. R. Positive and negative relations between a signal and food: Approach-withdrawal behavior to the signal. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 1977, 3, 37–52.
Hearst, E., & Jenkins, H. M. Sign-tracking: The stimulus-reinforcer relation and directed action. Austin, Tex: Psychonomic Society, 1974.
Leclerc, R., & Re berg, D. Sign-tracking in aversive conditioning. Learning and Motivation, in press.
Rescorla, R. A. Pavlovian conditioning and its proper control procedures. Psychological Review, 1967, 74, 71–80.
Rescorla, R. A. Pavlovian conditioned inhibition. Psychological Bulletin, 1969, 72, 77–94.
Rescorla, R. A. Informational variables in Pavlovian conditioning. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 6). New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R. A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and nonreinforcement. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical conditioning II: Current research and theory. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1972.
Wagner, A. R., & Rescorla, R. A. Inhibition in Pavlovian conditioning: Application of a theory. In R. A. Boakes & M. S. Halliday (Eds.), Inhibition and learning. New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Wasserman, E. A., Franklin, S. R., & Hearst, E. Pavlovian appetitive contingencies and approach versus withdrawal to conditioned stimuli in pigeons. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1974, 86,616–627.
Witcher, E. S., & Ayres, J. B. Systematic manipulation of CS-US pairings in negative CS-US correlation procedures in rats. Animal Learning & Behavior, 1980, 8,67–74.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH19300. We thank Alida Evans and Dexter Gormley for valuable advice and assistance. Sarah Bottjer is now at the Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hearst, E., Bottjer, S.W. & Walker, E. Conditioned approach-withdrawal behavior and some signal-food relations in pigeons: Performance and positive vs. negative “associative strength“. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 16, 183–186 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329516
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329516