Martin Tracy I, Zentall Thomas R
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
Anim Cogn. 2005 Oct;8(4):273-8. doi: 10.1007/s10071-005-0254-2. Epub 2005 Mar 3.
In a conditional discrimination (matching-to-sample), a sample is followed by two comparison stimuli, one of which is correct, depending on the sample. Evidence from previous research suggests that if the stimulus display is maintained following an incorrect response (the so-called penalty-time procedure), acquisition by pigeons is facilitated. The present research tested the hypothesis that the penalty-time procedure allows the pigeons to review and learn from the maintained stimulus display following an incorrect choice. It did so by including a penalty-time group for which, following an incorrect choice, the sample changed to match the incorrect comparison, thus providing the pigeons with post-choice 'misinformation.' This misinformation group acquired the matching task significantly slower than the standard penalty-time group (that had no change in the sample following an error). Furthermore, acquisition of matching by a control group that received no penalty time fell midway between the other two groups, suggesting that the pigeons did not merely take more care in making choices because of the aversiveness of penalty-time. Thus, it appears that in the acquisition of matching-to-sample, when the stimulus display is maintained following an incorrect choice, the pigeons can review or acquire information from the display. This is the first time that such an effect has been reported for a nonhuman species.
在条件性辨别（匹配样本）任务中，一个样本之后会呈现两个比较刺激，其中一个根据样本是正确的。先前研究的证据表明，如果在错误反应后保持刺激呈现（所谓的惩罚时间程序），鸽子的学习会得到促进。本研究检验了这样一个假设，即惩罚时间程序使鸽子能够在做出错误选择后回顾并从保持的刺激呈现中学习。研究通过设置一个惩罚时间组来进行验证，对于该组，在做出错误选择后，样本会改变以匹配错误的比较刺激，从而为鸽子提供选择后的“错误信息”。这个错误信息组习得匹配任务的速度明显比标准惩罚时间组（错误后样本无变化）要慢。此外，没有接受惩罚时间的对照组习得匹配任务的速度介于另外两组之间，这表明鸽子并非仅仅因为惩罚时间的厌恶感而在做出选择时更加谨慎。因此，在习得匹配样本任务时，当在错误选择后保持刺激呈现时，鸽子似乎能够从呈现中回顾或获取信息。这是首次针对非人类物种报道这种效应。
