Abstract
Pigeons were studied under the autoshaping, automaintenance, and omission procedures while either physically restrained or free in the operant chamber. Physical restraint had no effect on autoshaping or automaintenance, possibly because of a ceiling effect. The percentage of trials with at least one response under the omission procedure was lower for the restraint condition than the free condition for most subjects. These data show that, while gross approach movements are not necessary for autoshaping to occur, movement does play some role in autopecking due to light-food pairings.
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This study is based on a thesis submitted to the Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ma degree by the second author.
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Richardson, W.K., Hansen, S. Autopecking With Gross Movement Physically Restrained. Psychol Rec 30, 39–46 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394653
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394653