University of Alberta.
McDaniel College.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2019 Jan;111(1):1-11. doi: 10.1002/jeab.490. Epub 2018 Dec 19.
Pigeons chose between two options on a concurrent-chains task with a single response requirement in the initial link. The suboptimal option ended with food 20% of the time whereas the optimal option ended with food 80% of the time. During a Sig-Both condition, terminal-link stimuli on both options signaled whether or not food would occur. During a Sig-Sub condition, terminal-link stimuli on the suboptimal option provided differential signals, but stimuli on the optimal option did not differentially signal the food and no food outcomes. Initial-link choices revealed a clear preference for the optimal option in the Sig-Both condition, but preference shifted toward suboptimality in the Sig-Sub condition. These findings show that pigeon suboptimal choice is not singularly driven by signal value, as has been suggested, but also by reinforcer frequency.
鸽子在一个具有单一反应要求的并发链任务中在两个选项之间进行选择。在初始链接中，次优选项有 20%的时间结束时有食物，而最优选项有 80%的时间结束时有食物。在 Sig-Both 条件下，两个选项的终端链接刺激都指示食物是否会发生。在 Sig-Sub 条件下，次优选项的终端链接刺激提供了不同的信号，但最优选项的刺激并没有不同地指示食物和无食物的结果。初始链接的选择在 Sig-Both 条件下清楚地显示出对最优选项的偏好，但在 Sig-Sub 条件下偏好转向次优。这些发现表明，鸽子的次优选择不仅仅是由信号值驱动的，就像之前所认为的那样，还受到强化物频率的影响。
