Within-Subject Renewal in Sign Tracking

Abstract

Three sign-tracking experiments using pigeon subjects examined the contextual dependence of extinction after conditioning. Renewal of extinguished responding occurred when testing occurred in a different context, using a variety of different renewal designs. In each case, a within-subject design ensured that the various contexts were equivalent in their general treatment histories and differed only in whether or not a particular stimulus had been extinguished in their presence. These results strengthen the view that extinction is relatively context specific.