Silent learning: sensory preconditioning of autoshaped pecking response in pigeons

Abstract

The production of sensory preconditioning upon the autoshaped pecking response is studied. Thirty two pigeons were randomly distributed in four groups of eight subjects each. In the first phase Group 1 was presented two neutral stsimuli Si (yellow) and. S2 (blue) simultaneously in a disk. Group 4 was exposed to four stimuli (yellow El, blue E2, red E3 and green E4); the first two stimuli were presented succesively and contingently while E3 and E4 were randomly presented. In Phase 2 groups 1, 2 and 4 were exposed to a positive contingency between E2 and a unconditioned stimulus; in group 4 E4 was also positively correlated with the UCS. Group 3 was exposed only to presentations of the UCS. The test condition consisted of six random presentations of each one of the four stimuli. Results show sensory preconditioning of the autoshaped pecking response. No differences were observed between the succesive and the simultaneous presentation of neutral stimuli in the productions of the preconditioned autoshaping. It is stressed the importance of contingency in contrast to contiguity even in regard to neutral stimuli.