Abstract
Pigeons initially learned a simultaneous two-item same/different concept by responding to a sample picture before selecting same or different to another picture. This procedure has been argued to have a familiarity component that controlled performance (e.g., Premack, 1983). Familiarity of the sample item was manipulated by decreasing the observing response to zero and retesting for concept learning. Pigeons again showed full abstract-concept learning (transfer = baseline). This simultaneous procedure has been argued to have low-level emergent features that controlled performance (e.g., Mackintosh, 2000). Such features were eliminated by changing the procedure to a 1-item list memory task with delays up to 30 seconds. Pigeons again showed full abstract-concept learning. Taken together, these findings indicated pigeons learned the same/different abstract concept based on relational processing between the pictures.
Original language | American English |
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State | Published - 2006 |
Event | Paper presented at a meeting of the Comparative Cognition Conference - Duration: Jan 1 2006 → … |
Conference
Conference | Paper presented at a meeting of the Comparative Cognition Conference |
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Period | 01/1/06 → … |
Keywords
- Pigeons
- concept learning
- full abstract-concept learning
- low-level emergent features
DC Disciplines
- Cognition and Perception
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology