Abstract
Pigeons' key pecks were reinforced in the presence of pictures from one of two categories, cats or cars. A single picture associated with reinforcement was used in Experiment 1, and 20 pictures from the same category were associated with reinforcement in Experiment 2. Pigeons then were presented with novel test pictures from the training category and from the other, previously unseen, category. During Session 1 of testing, pigeons pecked no more often at pictures from the reinforced category than at pictures from the previously unseen category. When pigeons were trained with pictures associated with reinforcement or its absence from different categories in Experiment 3, differential responding to novel pictures from different categories appeared during Session 1. These findings argue against a process of automatic stimulus generalization within natural categories and in favor of the position that category distinctions are not made until members of at least two categories are compared with one another.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (142.5 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Cerella J. Visual classes and natural categories in the pigeon. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1979 Feb;5(1):68–77. doi: 10.1037//0096-1523.5.1.68. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HERRNSTEIN R. J., LOVELAND D. H. COMPLEX VISUAL CONCEPT IN THE PIGEON. Science. 1964 Oct 23;146(3643):549–551. doi: 10.1126/science.146.3643.549. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hernstein R. J., Loveland D. H., Cable C. Natural concepts in pigeons. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1976 Oct;2(4):285–302. doi: 10.1037//0097-7403.2.4.285. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Herrnstein R. J. Acquisition, generalization, and discrimination reversal of a natural concept. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1979 Apr;5(2):116–129. doi: 10.1037//0097-7403.5.2.116. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]