Superordinate category formation in pigeons: association with a common delay or probability of food reinforcement makes perceptually dissimilar stimuli functionally equivalent.
Training associated pairs of perceptually dissimilar stimulus classes with a common delay or probability of food reinforcement in pigeons. Then, different choice responses were trained to 1 component class in each pair. In a choice test, the untrained class in each pair occasioned the same response as did the choice-trained class. In a 3rd experiment, 2 classes had reinforcement delays of 1 s and 15 s, respectively, and 2 other classes had reinforcement probabilities of 0.1 and 0.9. Then, 1 choice response was reinforced to a class previously associated with a better condition of reinforcement (e.g., 1-s delay or 1.0 probability), and a different response was reinforced to a class previously associated with a worse condition of reinforcement (0.1 probability or 0-s delay). Testing with all classes suggested that categorization was based on the relative reinforcement or hedonic value and not on the parametric details of reinforcement.
Astley
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SL
Department of Psychology, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa 52314-1098, USA. sastley@cornell-iowa.edu
Wasserman
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EA
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002755:Choice Behavior; D010856:Columbidae / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005502:Food; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D011336:Probability; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*