Learning of a response-reinforcer contingency by observer pigeons

Abstract

The data of three experiments on observational learning are reported. Experiment 1 assessed the effects of modeling different contingencies between pecking a peg and food reinforcement, on acquisition of the same response in observer pigeons. Results show that the group of pigeons exposed to demonstrations of the response-reinforcement contingency showed a faster rate of acquisition than the group exposed to demonstrations of random response-reinforcement congingency, or than the grooups that saw a model eat without pecking the peg. or than the group simply exposded to the model. Experiment 1B varied the number of trials with food and the number of trials with an opening resonse in a two random groups but failed to find similar acquisition levels. Experiment 2 was designed to evaluate, in the experimental situation used in experiment 1, the rate of acquisition of two different responses (pecking and pulling) by the observers, when only one of those responses had been shown instrumental in producinc food reinforcement.  Results showed that the observers learned both types of responses, but in testing they emitted the response demonstrated by the model in the previous stage. These data supports the afgument that a response-reinforcement contingency is necessary for observational learning, and that pigeons may learn a response-reinforcer contingency rather than a stimulus-stimulus association.