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MEASURES OF RESPONSE BIAS AT MINIMUM‐DETECTABLE LUMINANCE LEVELS IN THE PIGEON
Author(s) -
McCarthy Dianne
Publication year - 1983
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.1983.39-87
Subject(s) - luminance , reinforcement , psychology , audiology , statistics , artificial intelligence , mathematics , computer science , social psychology , medicine
Using an operant analogue of the yes‐no detection task, six pigeons were trained to detect luminance changes under two different reinforcement‐scheduling procedures. In the first, an uncontrolled reinforcement‐ratio procedure, the relative frequency of food reinforcers obtained for correct detections was free to vary with the birds' behavior as luminance levels were changed. In the second, a controlled reinforcement‐ratio procedure, changes in preference could not alter the relative distribution of food reinforcers between the two response alternatives. Extreme response biases developed as luminance was decreased to threshold in the uncontrolled procedure. No progressive changes in response bias as a function of decreasing luminance were seen in the controlled procedure. Absolute thresholds for light intensity were lower in the controlled than in the uncontrolled procedure.