Burns J D, Malone J C
Valdosta State College, Knoxville, Tennessee.
J Exp Anal Behav. 1992 Nov;58(3):399-413. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1992.58-399.
Two groups of experimentally naive pigeons were exposed to an autoshaping procedure in which the response key was mounted on the wall (the conventional location) or on the floor of the chamber. In two experiments, subjects readily responded to the wall key, but floor-key subjects required shaping. A subsequent experiment compared performance of wall- and floor-key groups on an ascending series of fixed-ratio schedule values, resistance to extinction, differential reinforcement of other behavior, and reversal of key assignment. Each experiment was followed by several sessions of fixed-ratio training; the performance of the wall- and floor-key groups was almost identical throughout. In the final experiment, a fixed-ratio requirement could be completed on either or both keys. Birds initially chose the key on which they had responded during the preceding (reversal of key assignment) experiment. However, within a few sessions both groups showed almost exclusive preference for the floor key. Preference for a key located on the floor may follow from the fact that pigeons are ground feeders and may thus be more "prepared" to peck the floor than to peck a wall. However, autoshaping, under the conditions prevailing here, occurred much more readily to the wall key, suggesting that pecking a vertical surface is more highly prepared. Difficulties in determining relative preparedness seem moot, however, given the lack of between-group differences in the intervening experiments. It is thus unlikely that schedule performances critically depend upon the specific operant response involved.
两组未经实验训练的鸽子被置于一种自动成型程序中，在该程序里，反应键安装在笼子的墙上（传统位置）或地板上。在两个实验中，受试鸽子对墙上的键反应很容易，但对地板上键的受试鸽子则需要进行塑形训练。随后的一个实验比较了墙上键组和地板上键组在一系列递增的固定比率时间表值、消退抗性、对其他行为的差别强化以及键分配反转方面的表现。每个实验之后都进行了几轮固定比率训练；在整个过程中，墙上键组和地板上键组的表现几乎相同。在最后一个实验中，可以在任意一个键或两个键上完成固定比率要求。鸟类最初选择的是它们在前一个（键分配反转）实验中做出反应的键。然而，在几轮实验内，两组都几乎完全偏向于地板上的键。对位于地板上的键的偏好可能源于鸽子是地面觅食者这一事实，因此它们可能更“倾向于”啄地板而非啄墙。然而，在当前条件下，自动成型在墙上的键上更容易发生，这表明啄垂直表面更具倾向性。不过，鉴于在中间实验中缺乏组间差异，确定相对倾向性的困难似乎没有实际意义。因此，时间表表现极不可能严重依赖于所涉及的特定操作性反应。
