Abstract
A three-phase transfer design was used to determine whether pigeons use a single, common code to represent line and duration samples that are associated with the same comparison stimulus. In Phase 1, two sets of samples (two lines and two durations) were associated with either a single set of comparisons (Group MTO, many-to-one) or with different sets of comparisons (Group OTO, one-to-one). In Phase 2, one set of samples was associated with a new set of comparisons. In Phase 3 (transfer test), the alternate set of samples was substituted for the Phase 2 samples. Group MTO, but not Group OTO, demonstrated immediate transfer. It was concluded that associating a line and a duration sample with the same comparison stimulus results in representation of those samples by a single code.
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The research was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (OGP 0443 to D.S.G. and OGP 0038861 to M.L.S). The results were presented at the meeting of the Psychonomic Society, St. Louis, November 1992.
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Grant, D.S., Spetch, M.L. Mediated transfer testing provides evidence for common coding of duration and line samples in many-to-one matching in pigeons. Animal Learning & Behavior 22, 84–89 (1994). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199959
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199959