Conditional discrimination with ambiguous stimuli.
Ambiguous cues on the non-reinforced choice can still control responding, so plan your teaching materials with both keys in mind.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researcher taught pigeons a two-key conditional task.
Each trial showed a color-line mix on both keys.
Only one key paid off.
The color or line on the empty key was made unclear on purpose.
What they found
Birds pecked more correctly when the fuzzy cue sat on the no-pay key.
The wrong-side cue still gained control over their choice.
This shows non-reinforced parts of a scene can guide behavior too.
How this fits with other research
Ohta (1987) later showed the same color cues turn into mini-reinforcers.
Pigeons worked to see them, proving the cues had value beyond signaling.
Davison (2018) looked deeper and found reinforcers can split control.
Color and key location both steer the bird, even seconds apart.
Together the three papers map how both paid and unpaid bits of a task grab power.
Why it matters
When you set up conditional discriminations, notice what sits on the non-reinforced side.
That "extra" picture, word, or spot can still steer your learner.
Use this to your advantage: place helpful hints on the no-reinforcement option to tighten stimulus control.
Also watch for accidental cues on error choices; they may be teaching more than you think.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Five pigeons learned a two-key conditional discrimination. When background color on both keys was red, pecks on the key with a horizontal line produced food. When the color was green, pecks on the key with a vertical line produced food. During part of the experiment, color was presented on only one of the keys. It was found that accuracy was higher when color was combined with the line stimulus correlated with nonreinforcement. In another part of the experiment, color was presented on both keys but a line was present only on one. Accuracy was higher when the line accompanied the nonreinforced option than when the line accompanied the reinforced option. Superior performance when the combined stimuli were displayed on the nonfood key may be explained by the association of different components of the compound stimuli with reinforcement or as the result of rules pigeons follow in solving conditional discriminations.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1983 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1983.39-241