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Within-Trial Psychophysics and Stimulus Control: Radiometric and Photometric Equivalence Functions for the Pigeon

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Abstract

Conditioned suppression and stimulus tracking techniques were combined to yield a psychophysical threshold within each discrete stimulus trial. The flicker rate of a visual stimulus progressively decelerated throughout a 20-sec trial terminated by shock, with flicker fusion threshold defined as the flicker rate at the initiation of conditioned suppression of key pecking. Within-trial flicker fusion thresholds were determined for 10 different monochromatic stimuli at each of three radiometric intensities. The resulting thresholds defined radiometric equivalence functions (equal energy contours) and photometric equivalence functions (equal brightness contours) which are consistent with the reported photopic spectral sensitivity of the pigeon. The results suggest that stimulus continua may be programmed as conventional static stimuli to generate stimulus-controlled differential response patterns with each discrete trial.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, 20857, USA

    Wendon W. Henton, O. L. Ellingson & W. P. Edwards

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  1. Wendon W. Henton
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  2. O. L. Ellingson
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  3. W. P. Edwards
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Henton, W.W., Ellingson, O.L. & Edwards, W.P. Within-Trial Psychophysics and Stimulus Control: Radiometric and Photometric Equivalence Functions for the Pigeon. Psychol Rec 31, 63–75 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394721

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