Two types of pigeon key pecking: suppression of long- but not short-duration key pecks by duration-dependent shock.
Short pecks can survive punishment that wipes out long pecks, so topography matters when you plan consequence programs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with pigeons in a small lab chamber. Birds could peck a lit key for food.
A brief shock followed any peck that stayed on the key longer than a set time. Short taps got no shock.
What they found
Long, held-down pecks almost stopped after shock was added. Quick taps kept happening at the same pace.
The birds acted as if two separate classes of pecks existed: short reflex-like taps and longer operant presses.
How this fits with other research
Stolz (1977) used reinforcement schedules instead of shock and saw the same split. Both studies show duration sorts pigeon key pecks into two classes.
Périkel et al. (1974) also used duration, but to teach discrimination. Their work shows duration can be a cue; Stolz (1977) shows it can also decide which pecks get punished.
Hineline et al. (1969) kept shock but made pecks escape it. They maintained responding, while Stolz (1977) cut long pecks. Same tool, different rule: escape keeps the response, punishment removes it.
Why it matters
When you punish a behavior, check its form. Quick, reflex-like acts may dodge suppression even when longer versions of the "same" response get blocked. Measure duration, force, or path before you decide punishment "isn't working." You might just be missing the topography that is actually sensitive to consequences.
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Join Free →Time a few topographies of the target behavior; try punishing only the long-duration version first.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The key pecking of eight pigeons was maintained on a variable-interval 1-minute schedule of food reinforcement. Sometimes, all responses between 35 and 50 milliseconds in duration produced a shock; sometimes, all responses between 10 and 25 milliseconds produced a shock; sometimes, shocks were produced by pecks without regard to duration (nondifferential punishment), and sometimes shocks were delivered independently of responding. Punishment of 35- to 50-millisecond responses selectively suppressed those responses, while punishment of 10- to 25-millisecond responses and nondifferential punishment suppressed responding overall but did not suppress responses of particular duration. Punishment of 35- to 50-millisecond responses suppressed key pecking slightly less than did nondifferential punishment. Punishment of 10- to 25-millisecond responses and response-independent shock produced roughly equal amounts of suppression, substantially less than the other punishment procedures. The data support the view that there are at least two kinds of key peck, identifiable on the basis of duration, one of which (short duration) is insensitive to its consequences.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1977 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1977.27-393