Transitive inference in pigeons: Measuring the associative values of Stimuli B and D
Highlights
► We trained pigeons to acquire of 5-term series in a transitive inference task. ► After acquisition, we experimentally measured associative values of Stimuli B and D. ► Experimental measures of associative values did not predict BD performance in test. ► They also did not correlate with BD performance predicted by associative models. ► Results call into question the validity of reinforcement-based model for TI tasks.
Section snippets
Subjects
Ten feral pigeons kept at 85% of their free-feeding weights by controlled daily feeding were used. One of the pigeons failed to learn the discrimination after the extensive training and was dropped from the experiment. Therefore, the final sample consisted of nine birds. Grit and water were available ad lib in the home cages. The pigeons had served in unrelated studies prior to this experiment.
Apparatus
The experiment used four operant conditioning chambers linked to four Macintosh computers detailed
Training and bias reversal
Training in the Downward group took an average of 36 sessions, with a minimum of 11 sessions and a maximum of 75 sessions. Training in the Upward group took an average of 20 sessions, ranging from 15 sessions to 26 sessions. The difference in the speed of learning in the two groups was not statistically significant.
Table 1 shows the number of correct and incorrect choices as well as the reinforcement/nonreinforcement ratios before and after bias reversal for all of the birds. In the Downward
Comparison of Upward and Downward groups
Several studies have reported that adult humans who are presented with verbal premises find it easier to construct an ordered linear series in a downward direction (i.e., starting with the “best” item and proceeding to the “worst” item) than in an upward direction (i.e., starting with the “worst” item and proceeding to the “best” item; De Soto et al., 1965, Jahn et al., 2007). It is possible that this tendency arises from linguistic properties of the premises (e.g., lexical marking, Clark, 1969
Conclusion
In our earlier study (Lazareva and Wasserman, 2006), we found that associative models were unable to predict high BD performance after bias reversal. It was possible, however, that the associative values of the stimuli after the bias reversal phase still formed an ordered series, but the associative models required some modification (e.g., the assumption that the associative value of a given stimulus is not updated during bias reversal; see Vasconcelos, 2008) to account for these data. Even
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2017, Behavioural ProcessesCitation Excerpt :We analyzed accuracies on these relevant discriminations to assess their relation to probe-trial selections. Specifically, reward ratios and non-reward ratios were calculated (e.g., Lazareva and Wasserman, 2012). Reward ratio was calculated by dividing the number of reinforced responses to stimulus B by the number of reinforced responses to stimulus B plus the number of reinforced responses to stimulus G for each participant in all baseline sessions.
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2017, Animal BehaviourCitation Excerpt :The tested hemisphere had only direct experience with B and it clearly chose this stimulus although B was reinforced in one (B+C−) and not in the other (A+B−) training pair. Owing to the overtraining of B+C−, B was presumably associated with a positive reward (Lazareva et al., 2015; Lazareva & Wasserman, 2012) and therefore was chosen. The hemispheres also successfully discriminated pairs that included colour E and, hence, the colour with the lowest reward value that was, however, not directly experienced.