Differential effects of omitting comparison stimuli on symbolic and identity matching to sample: Evidence for altered instructional processes in pigeon short-term memory

Abstract

Two experiments were performed to determine the effects of omitting the comparison stimuli in a matching-to-sample task. In Experiment 1, birds were trained initially on both symbolic and identity matching to sample. Comparison stimuli were then omitted following the presentation of a particular sample stimulus, and this decreased the number of sample (observing) responses. The reintroduction of the comparison stimuli on subsequent probe trials revealed that the accuracy of symbolic matching was reduced to chance levels, while identity matching accuracy was significantly below chance. In Experiment 2, a similar procedure was employed; however, observing responses to the comparison-omitted samples were maintained by direct reinforcement (fixed ratio 20). Matching accuracy during probe trials was again at chance levels for symbolic matching but, contrary to Experiment 1, was significantly above chance for identity matching. The differential effects of omitting comparison stimuli on symbolic and identity matching trials in these two experiments were interpreted within a framework which assumes that instructional processes are altered by comparison-omission procedures.