The Acquisition of an Artificial Category by Pigeons

Abstract

This article investigates the ability of pigeons to discriminate between artificial categories composed of patterns constructed from three adjacent bars. In three experiments, using autoshaping, the patterns signalled either the presence or the absence of food, and the categories were determined by the average height of the bars. The subjects were able to discriminate between these categories, and the results from generalization tests with novel patterns provide some indication of the way in which this success is achieved. It seems the discrimination does not involve the formation of a prototype that represents the average of the training patterns. Instead, the results suggest that the discrimination depends upon the formation of multiple associations, either between features of the various patterns and reinforcement, or between individual members of the category and reinforcement.