| Abstract: | Four experiments investigated the effects of within-session stimulus repetition on texture discrimination. Six pigeons (Columba livia) searched for a contrasting target region (color or shape) randomly embedded within a larger distractor region for food reinforcement. Experiment 1 found that repeating features of the distractors, but not those of the target, across trials increased the accuracy of target localization relative to baseline. Experiment 2 found that subsequently switching the identity of a repeated distractor feature to the target decreased accuracy. Experiment 3 found that the effects of repeating a distractor feature influenced search performance for at least 60 trials after this learning. Experiment 4 found that differential stimulus-outcome relations can produce control by repeated target features. The results are discussed in terms of the factors and strategies involved in the control of avian visual search behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
