| Abstract: | Single-alternation patterning was studied by using a Pavlovian procedure and multiple-behavior recordings of freely moving white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris). The main outcomes of a series of three experiments were the following. First, opossums exhibited behavioral organization, approaching the feeder during reinforced trials and withdrawing from the feeder area during nonreinforced trials; moreover, the specific behaviors were similar to those recorded during differential conditioning in other experiments. Second, transfer effects from relatively favorable to unfavorable conditions (length of intertrial interval) for single-alternation patterning were found; this suggests that local mechanisms (i.e., sensory and memory carry-over) may not wholly explain performance under single-alternation schedules. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
