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The role of test stimuli in matching to compound samples by pigeons |
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| Authors: | William S Maki Donald A Riley Charles R Leith |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, 58102, Fargo, North Dakota 2. University of California, 94 720, Berkeley, California 3. Northern Michigan University, 49855, Marquette, Michigan |
| Abstract: | Two pigeons matched to sample in a three-key operant conditioning chamber. In Experiment I, two different kinds of samples were presented on the center key.Element samples were members of one of two sample sets — colors (a red or blue disk) or lines (a vertical or horizontal orientation of a set of white lines). These samples were followed by their respective sample sets on the side keys as comparison stimuli.Compound samples consisted of a set of lines superimposed on a colored disk. Following these samples, either sample set could appear as comparison stimuli. Matching to compound samples was less accurate than matching to element samples. One interpretation is that sharing of attention among elements of a compound sample weakened stimulus control by each element. A different interpretation is that an element sample controlled matching better because it was physically identical to a comparison stimulus whereas a compound sample was not. Experiments II–IV evaluated this “generalization decrement” alternative by testing element- vs. compound sample control with both element and compound comparison stimuli. Irrelevant elements were added to form compound comparison stimuli, some of which were physically identical to a preceding compound sample, but never identical to an element sample. In all experiments, the addition of irrelevant elements of comparison stimuli reduced sample control. However, the generalization decrement hypothesis failed to predict how differences in performance maintained by element and compound samples were affected by different tests of sample control. Matching accuracy appeared to be independently determined by the number of elements in a sample and whether irrelevant elements were present during tests of sample control. |
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