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ON THE DISCRIMINABILITY OF STIMULUS DURATION
Author(s) -
McCarthy Dianne,
Davison Michael
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1980.33-187
Subject(s) - stimulus (psychology) , duration (music) , psychology , speech recognition , computer science , communication , artificial intelligence , cognitive psychology , art , literature
The performance of pigeons trained to detect differences in the duration of stimuli was analysed using a matching model of signal detection. Two white stimuli, S 1 and S 2 , differing in duration, were arranged with equal probability on the center key of a three‐key chamber. S 1 was systematically varied from 5 seconds to 25 seconds while S 2 remained constant at 30 seconds. On completion of the center‐key stimulus, a peck on the center key turned on the two red side keys. A left‐key response was “correct” when S 1 had been in effect on the center key and a right‐key response was “correct” on S 2 trials. A correct response produced a 3‐second magazine light accompanied intermittently by food. Incorrect responses produced 3‐second blackouts. Detection performance was measured under two procedures. In the first, the obtained reinforcement ratio was uncontrolled by allowing the number of food reinforcements obtained for correct left‐ and right‐key responses to vary as the stimuli were changed. In the second procedure, the presentation of food reinforcement was controlled by holding the obtained reinforcement ratio constant. Discriminability changed as a function of stimulus differences under both procedures. No such trend was found in response bias.