Stimulus generalization from feeder to response key in the acquisition of autoshaped pecking.
Color overlap between feeder and key jump-starts the very first autoshaped peck in pigeons.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers worked with pigeons to see if color matching speeds up autoshaped key pecking.
The feeder lit up in one color before grain arrived. The key later lit in either the same color or a different one.
No food followed the key light, so any peck came from stimulus generalization alone.
What they found
Birds pecked the key sooner when its color matched the feeder color.
Color match acted like a bridge, letting the feeder cue spill over to the key.
How this fits with other research
Hayes et al. (1975) reported that key color does not change how often pigeons peck. The new study does not overturn that; it shows color matters only for the very first peck, not long-term rate.
Quilitch et al. (1973) proved autoshaping runs on stimulus-reinforcer links. Lea et al. (1977) extend that idea by showing the link can jump between stimuli that share a feature.
Annable et al. (1979) later swapped grain for direct water delivery and still saw autoshaped pecks. Together the three papers show the effect holds across reinforcer types and across slight cue changes.
Why it matters
When you set up new cues for a client, try sharing one clear feature with an already trusted cue. A shared color, shape, or sound can give the new stimulus a head start. Think of it as letting the old stimulus do the heavy lifting while the new one moves in.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
During autoshaping, a 6-second presentation of one stimulus and a variable time 30-second presentation of a second stimulus alternated in appearance on a pigeon key. Grain always was delivered for 3 seconds at the end of the first stimulus interval. In the first experiment, autoshaped pecking of the stimulus preceding grain delivery began much sooner when that stimulus was a black vertical line on a white background and the other stimulus was green than when the opposite stimulus arrangement was used. Because these two stimuli differed in form, hue, brightness, and similarity in hue and brightness to the illumination of the raised feeder, three subsequent experiments examined whether the differential speed of autoshaping in the two groups was due to a feature-positive, feature-negative effect, a preference for brighter over darker stimuli, a simple preference for white over green, or stimulus generalization from the brightness or hue of the illuminated, raised feeder to the stimulus on the key preceding grain delivery. The data from these experiments showed that the first autoshaped key peck was most likely to be made to the stimulus of the same hue as that illuminating the feeder, regardless of whether that stimulus was positively or negatively associated with grain delivery. At least under some conditions, therefore, stimulus-generalization mediated response transfer of pecking grain in the presence of the hue illuminating the feeder to pecking the key illuminated by a similar hue appears to account for the occurrence of autoshaped key pecking.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1977 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1977.27-469