Abstract
Two experiments demonstrated that pigeons can solve a simultaneous discrimination in which on half the trials the positive and an ambiguous cue (A) are presented and on half the trials choice is between A and the negative stimulus. In Experiment 1, where a relatively nondistinctive A cue was used, performance on the former type of trial was superior to that shown on the latter. In Experiment 2, where a distinctive A cue was provided, this pattern of results was reversed. These findings are interpreted in terms of an approach-avoidance explanation first proposed by Leary (1958). Experiment 3 tested and confirmed a central prediction of this explanation by showing that in an orthodox simultaneous discrimination, occasional reinforcements of the negative stimulus produce less accurate performance than do nonreinforcements of the positive.
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References
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Boyer, W. N., Polidora, V. J., Fletcher, H. J., &Woodruff, B. Monkeys’ performance on ambiguous-cue problems.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1966,22, 883–888.
Fellows, B. Chance stimulus sequences for discrimination tasks.Psychological Bulletin, 1967,67, 87–92.
Fletcher, H. J., &Bordow, A. M. Monkey’s solution of an ambiguous-cue problem.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1965,21, 115–119.
Fletcher, H. J., &Garske, J. P. Response competition in monkeys’ solution of PAN ambiguous-cue problems.Learning and Motivation, 1972,3, 334–340.
Fletcher, H. J., Grogg, T. M., &Garske, J. P. Ambiguouscue problem performance of children, retardates, and monkeys.Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1968,66, 477–482.
Leary, R. W. The learning of ambiguous cue problems by monkeys.American Journal of Psychology, 1958,71, 718–724.
Richards, R. W. Performance of the pigeon on the ambiguouscue problem.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1973,1, 445–447.
Spence, K. W. The nature of discrimination learning in animals.Psychological Review, 1936,43, 427–449.
Spence, K. W. The differential response in animals to stimuli varying within a single dimension.Psychological Review, 1937,44, 430–444.
Thompson, R. Approach versus avoidance in an ambiguous-cue discrimination problem in chimpanzees.Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1954,47, 133–135.
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This work was supported by a grant from the U.K. Science Research Council.
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Hall, G. An investigation of ambiguous-cue learning in pigeons. Animal Learning & Behavior 8, 282–286 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199607
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199607