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PIGEONS' SPATIAL MEMORY: FACTORS AFFECTING DELAYED MATCHING OF KEY LOCATION
Author(s) -
Wilkie Donald M.,
Summers Russell J.
Publication year - 1982
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.1982.37-45
Subject(s) - peck (imperial) , pecking order , key (lock) , sample (material) , matching (statistics) , reinforcement , statistics , psychology , artificial intelligence , computer science , mathematics , social psychology , computer security , chemistry , geometry , chromatography , evolutionary biology , biology
The delayed‐matching‐to‐sample procedure was modified to study pigeons' spatial memory. Nine pecking keys, arranged as a three‐by‐three matrix, served as the spatial cues. Trials began with a brief “ready” stimulus (dimming of the houselight). Then a randomly chosen key was lit briefly as a sample. After a short delay the sample key was lit again along with one of the other eight keys. A peck at the key that had served as the sample produced grain reinforcement, whereas a peck to the other key produced only the intertrial interval. After delayed matching of key location was learned, the effects of sample and delay duration, number of keys illuminated as sample and comparisons, and organization of three‐key samples were studied. Matching accuracy decreased as sample duration decreased, delay increased, the number of locations serving as samples increased, the number and proximity of comparisons increased, and when the three‐key samples were “discontinuous” rather than “lines.”