title: Discriminative stimuli that follow the absence of reinforcement are preferred by pigeons over those that follow reinforcement.
abstract: Clement, Feltus, Kaiser, and Zentall (2000) found that when pigeons have to work to obtain a discriminative stimulus that is followed by reinforcement, they prefer a discriminative stimulus that requires greater effort over one that requires less effort. The authors suggested that such a preference results from the greater change in hedonic value that occurs between the more aversive event and the onset of the stimulus that signals reinforcement, a contrast effect. It was hypothesized that any stimulus that follows a relatively more aversive event would be preferred over a stimulus that follows a relatively less aversive event. In the present experiment, the authors tested the counterintuitive prediction of that theory, that pigeons should prefer a discriminative stimulus that follows the absence of reinforcement over a discriminative stimulus that follows reinforcement. Results supported the theory.
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0044, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.forename: Tricia S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Zentall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior; D010856:Columbidae; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology