Skip to main content
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1974 May;21(3):421–424. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1974.21-421

Evidence of complementary afterimages in the pigeon1

Jon L Williams
PMCID: PMC1333214  PMID: 4838197

Abstract

Key pecking of pigeons was reinforced on a variable-interval schedule when ambient illumination came from a green light, but not when it came from a red, yellow, or white light. The different hues were randomly presented for periods of 30 sec each, with the restriction that white never followed red. After discriminative control was established, the pigeons were tested with the same procedure used during training, except that white sometimes followed red. Significantly more responses were made during white-following-red than during white following either green or yellow. These findings indicate that, in changing from red to white, complementary afterimages can be induced in pigeons for a brief period of time. By providing behavioral evidence for afterimages in the pigeon, this technique may be useful to research in comparative neurophysiology, animal discrimination learning, and theories of color vision.

Full text

PDF
421

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BLOUGH D. S. Spectral sensitivity in the pigeon. J Opt Soc Am. 1957 Sep;47(9):827–833. doi: 10.1364/josa.47.000827. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. DE VALOIS R. L. Color vision mechanisms in the monkey. J Gen Physiol. 1960 Jul;43(6):115–128. doi: 10.1085/jgp.43.6.115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. SVAETICHIN G., MACNICHOL E. F., Jr Retinal mechanisms for chromatic and achromatic vision. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1959 Nov 12;74(2):385–404. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1958.tb39560.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

RESOURCES