Abstract
Pigeons were trained to produce one serial list in the presence of a green background cue and another serial list in the presence of a red background cue when the items for both serial lists were presented on each trial. This demonstrated a combination of serial learning and conditional discrimination learning not previously shown in pigeons. Specifically, when presented with four geometric forms, A B C D, in random locations of a five-key display, the pigeons learned to peck A B C when the background was green and A B D when the background was red. Accuracy on the conditional string ranged from 73% to 85%. Transfer tests using different locations of the stimuli on the keys showed positive transfer, thus ruling out learning of specific locations as the basis of the accurate performance. Above-chance performance was maintained when the conditional colors were presented only on the key that did not contain one of the serial stimuli. The results are interpreted in terms of a chaining model that postulates that the sequential selections were controlled by cues produced by both onset of the trial and prior selections within the trial.
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Mitchell, Z. P., Cole, M. A., & Richardson, W. K.The origin of forward errors in serial lists by pigeons. Paper presented at the meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Atlanta, March 1981.
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This study was 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., Kresch, J.A. Stimulus stringing by pigeons: Conditional strings. Animal Learning & Behavior 11, 19–26 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212302
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212302