Stimulus relevance in the control of drinking and conditioned fear responses in domestic chicks (Gallus gallus).

Trained groups of young domestic chicks (N = 310) to reject selectively quinine-flavored or electrified water distinguished by 1 of several visual and auditory stimuli. With visual discriminative stimuli, Ss learned within a few trials, but with sounds they learned poorly, although they could hear the sounds. When a compound of flashing light and clicks signaled footshocks for drinking or shock through the water, drinking was completely controlled by the flashing light. In contrast, when the same compound was paired with footshock in a CER paradigm, Ss' behavior was controlled primarily by the clicks. Results constitute a demonstration of stimulus relevance or belongingness, but differ in important ways from other examples of the nonequivalence of stimuli, responses, or reinforcers. (35 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)