Lea Stephen E G, Chow Pizza Ka Yee, Meier Christina, McLaren Ian P L, Verbruggen Frederick
Department of Psychology.
J Exp Psychol Anim Learn Cogn. 2019 Oct;45(4):464-473. doi: 10.1037/xan0000219. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
In many cognitive tasks where humans are thought to rely on executive functioning, pigeons' behavior can be explained by associative processes. A key form of executive functioning is inhibiting prepotent responses, often investigated in humans by means of "Stop-Signal" or "Change-Signal" procedures. In these procedures, execution of a well-practiced ("Go") response to a stimulus is occasionally interrupted by a signal to withhold or alter the practiced response. Performance in such tasks is usually described by the "independent horse horse-race model." This model assumes that the processes that cause the Go and inhibitory responses occur independently; the process that finishes first determines the response observed. We further tested this model by training pigeons to track the circular movement of a colored patch around a touchscreen by pecking it; the spot occasionally deviated from its normal path (the Change signal). The pigeons had to inhibit the habitual movement of their heads to land a peck on the spot in its unexpected position. The key predictions of the independent horse-race model were confirmed in the pigeons' latency data. Thus, the independent race model can also successfully describe Stop-change performance of subjects that do not rely on executive control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
在许多人们认为依赖执行功能的认知任务中，鸽子的行为可以通过联想过程来解释。执行功能的一种关键形式是抑制优势反应，在人类中通常通过“停止信号”或“改变信号”程序进行研究。在这些程序中，对刺激的熟练（“执行”）反应的执行偶尔会被一个信号打断，该信号要求抑制或改变已练习的反应。此类任务中的表现通常用“独立赛马模型”来描述。该模型假设导致执行反应和抑制反应的过程是独立发生的；首先完成的过程决定观察到的反应。我们通过训练鸽子通过啄击来跟踪触摸屏上彩色斑块的圆周运动，进一步测试了这个模型；该斑点偶尔会偏离其正常路径（改变信号）。鸽子必须抑制它们头部的习惯性运动，以便在斑点处于意外位置时啄中它。独立赛马模型的关键预测在鸽子的潜伏期数据中得到了证实。因此，独立赛马模型也可以成功地描述不依赖执行控制的受试者的停止 - 改变表现。（PsycINFO数据库记录（c）2019美国心理学会，保留所有权利）
