Abstract
Serial reversal learning problems have been used primarily with the pigeon to develop theories of learning for the class Aves as a whole. This experiment tested the mallard duck and employed a procedure similar to that used for the pigeon. Five mallard ducks were tested in a visual discrimination task in daily sessions, with the rewarded symbol changed every 20 days. Improvement in the performance of the ducks did not occur to the same degree as that reported for the pigeon, and no evidence was found for a weakening of retention over time.
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This paper is Contribution 9 of the Laboratory of Animal Behavior at Colorado State University.
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Wells, M.C., Lehner, P.N. Serial reversal learning in the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos). Bull. Psychon. Soc. 10, 235–237 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329335
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329335