Balsam P D, Graf J S, Silver R
Department of Psychology, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027.
Dev Psychobiol. 1992 Sep;25(6):389-410. doi: 10.1002/dev.420250602.
This series of experiments analyzes the role of learning in the development of pecking in ring dove squab. Experiment 1 showed that there is a high probability that parents will feed squab after a period of separation (Experiment 1). Such feedings may have been essential for producing the previous observation (Graf, Balsam, & Silver, 1985) that pecking develops normally if squab which have been separated from their parents are given a daily 20-min interaction with seed followed by an immediate return to their parents. Experiment 2 showed that exposure to seed followed by experimenter-provided feedings were sufficient for inducing adult pecking levels. Experiment 3 showed that general experience with conspecifics was not necessary for the development of pecking and that maturation alone could not account for the pecking observed in previous experiments. Experiment 4 showed that Pavlovian contingencies consisting of visual exposure to seed followed by feeding was sufficient to induce high levels of pecking. There did not appear to be an additional contribution of an operant contingency present when squab were allowed to both see and peck at seed prior to feedings in Experiment 5. However, squab must actually be given experience in handling and ingesting seeds before adult levels of pecking can be obtained. These results are discussed in terms of the developmental pathways whereby experience leads to adult behavior.
这一系列实验分析了学习在环鸽雏鸽啄食行为发展中的作用。实验1表明，经过一段时间的分离后，亲鸽喂食雏鸽的可能性很高（实验1）。这种喂食可能对于产生之前的观察结果（格拉夫、巴尔萨姆和西尔弗，1985年）至关重要，即如果将与亲鸽分离的雏鸽每天与种子进行20分钟的互动，然后立即回到亲鸽身边，啄食行为会正常发展。实验2表明，接触种子后由实验者提供喂食足以诱导出成年雏鸽的啄食水平。实验3表明，与同种个体的一般接触经验对于啄食行为的发展并非必要，而且仅靠成熟不能解释之前实验中观察到的啄食行为。实验4表明，由视觉接触种子后再喂食所构成的巴甫洛夫式条件作用足以诱导出高水平的啄食行为。在实验5中，当雏鸽在喂食前既能看到种子又能啄食种子时，似乎并没有额外的操作性条件作用的贡献。然而，在获得成年雏鸽的啄食水平之前，雏鸽必须实际获得处理和摄取种子的经验。将根据经验导致成年行为的发育途径来讨论这些结果。
