Abstract
In two experiments involving present/absent sample matching, we tested whether the visual stimuli or differential sample behavior served as the basis for comparison choice. In both experiments, one group (FR/DRO) was required to peck the present sample and to refrain from pecking the absent sample (as typically occurs with fixed duration present/absent samples), and the other group (FR/FR) was required to peck both samples. In Experiment 1, the samples were a black dot on a white field (present) and the white field alone (absent). In Experiment 2, the samples were a yellow hue (present) and a dark response key (absent). In both experiments, divergent retention functions were found only for the FR/DRO group. These results suggest that, in nonhedonic present/absent sample matching, it is the behavior directed toward the present sample, rather than the visual stimulus itself, that serves as the basis for comparison choice.
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This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant IBN 9414589 and National Institute of Mental Health Grant 55118 to T.R.Z. We thank Lou Sherburne and Tricia Clement for their contributions to this research.
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Weaver, J.E., Dorrance, B.R. & Zentall, T.R. Present/absent sample matching in pigeons: Is comparison choice controlled by the sample stimulus or by differential sample responding?. Animal Learning & Behavior 27, 288–294 (1999). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199727
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199727