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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1989 Nov;52(3):377–385. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1989.52-377

Visually guided catching and tracking skills in pigeons: A preliminary analysis

Mark E Rilling, Thomas L LaClaire
PMCID: PMC1339189  PMID: 16812602

Abstract

Research on reaching, tracking, and catching in the pigeon has been hampered by limitations of technology. A new system was developed in which the target was a small rectangle presented on a video display terminal and the pecking response was detected with touch technology. The target moved up and down vertically with sinusoidal velocity. A coincidence between the location of the pigeon's beak and the cursor produced reinforcement. The pigeon pecked ahead and behind the target, but most pecks occurred behind the target so the dominant tracking strategy was lagging. The pigeon was adept at “catching” the target at many locations throughout the trajectory. Transfer of motor learning was tested on probe trials during which the trajectory changed from vertical to horizontal. On transfer trials the pigeons' dominant pattern of pecking immediately shifted from vertical to horizontal. The motor skill displayed by the pigeons was flexible and adaptive, suggesting that the pigeons had learned to track the cursor.

Keywords: tracking, catching, reaching, stimulus control by movement, transfer of training, motor behavior, peck, pigeons

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Selected References

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

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