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39th Annual Convention; Minneapolis, MN; 2013

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Symposium #285
Derived Relational Responding in Nonhumans: New Directions in the Study of Symmetry and Equivalence
Monday, May 27, 2013
9:00 AM–10:20 AM
101 G (Convention Center)
Area: EAB/TPC; Domain: Basic Research
Chair: Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas)
Abstract:

Recent empirical and conceptual developments (e.g., Wasserman & Frank, 2005; Urcuioli, 2008) have suggested that the failure to observe derived relational responding in nonhuman subjects may be the result of the procedural factors such as the conditions of training and testing and not other factors that may limit learning simple associative relations. This symposium brings together presentations from four different laboratories investigating the particular role of procedural and other factors in the development of symmetrical relations in two different nonhuman species. First, Swisher and Urcuioli ask whether spatial locations remain a part of the functional stimulus even when associative symmetry has been demonstrated with sample and comparison stimuli appearing in different locations. Next, Velasco and Tomanari ask if simple discrimination training with all stimuli and testing with reinforcement will facilitate the emergence of symmetrical relations using visual stimuli in pigeons. Third, Galizio and Bruce report on a systematic replication of Urcuiolis (2008) procedure using rats as subjects and odors as stimuli. Finally, in a similar vein, Hinnenkamp and Vaidya report on a systematic replication of Urcuiolis (2008) procedure using pigeons as subjects and sounds as stimuli.

Keyword(s): Associative symmetry, Nonhumans, Novel procedures
 

Is Location a Part of the Functional Stimulus in Pigeons' Successive Matching?

MELISSA J. SWISHER (Purdue University), Peter Urcuioli (Purdue University)
Abstract:

Associative symmetry in pigeons emerges after successive matching training even when samples and comparisons appear in different spatial locations. We report evidence that location nevertheless remains part of the functional stimuli under these conditions. Pigeons were trained on hue-form, hue identity, and form identity successive matching with center-key samples and left-key comparisons. On symmetry (form-hue) probe trials during subsequent testing, one group saw the form samples and hue comparisons in the same (center vs. left) locations as in training. A second group saw both samples and comparisons on the center key in testing. Three of the 4 pigeons in the first group showed the predicted symmetry relation; none of the pigeons in the second group did. A second experiment reverses the test conditions for each group. Thus, the functional stimuli in successive matching appear to include their spatial locations as well as their ordinal positions. This assumption combined with the other assumptions of Urcuiolis (2008) theory of stimulus-class formation predict the test conditions under which emergent symmetry will be observed.

 

A Strategy to Assess Equivalence Relations in Pigeons

SAULO MISSIAGGIA VELASCO (University of São Paulo, Brazil), Gerson Yukio Tomanari (University of São Paulo, Brazil)
Abstract:

Unreinforced probes often disrupt non-human's performance during tests for equivalence-class formation. The present paper presents a novel strategy to assess equivalence relations under reinforcement conditions. The procedure consists of a within-subject sequence of training and testing with reinforcement, and provides, before the equivalence test, a) exemplars of symmetrical responding, and b) all prerequisite discriminations among test samples and comparisons. After pigeons learn two arbitrary-matching tasks (A–B and C–D), they are given a reinforced symmetry test for half of the baseline relations (B1–A1 and D1–C1). To control for the effects of reinforcement during testing, two novel, non-symmetrical matching responses are concurrently reinforced using the other baseline stimuli (D2–A2 and B2–C2). Because novel relations are not inconsistent with the original training, they are incorporated on baseline, thus enabling the assessment of equivalence relations. For instance, the baseline relation A2–B2 along with the novel relation B2–C2 allow for the assessment of A2–C2 transitivity and C2–A2 equivalence. To control for the reinforcement during equivalence testing, two novel relations are comparatively reinforced (A1–C1 | C1–A1). For the subject that already advanced to the symmetry testing, symmetrical relations are been acquired faster than the novel relations throughout repeated test sessions.

 

Successive Matching-to-Sample in Rats: A Systematic Replication of Urcuioli (2008)

MARK GALIZIO (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), Katherine Ely Bruce (University of North Carolina at Wilmington)
Abstract:

Urcuioli (2008) demonstrated that go-no-go matching-to-sample training in pigeons with visual stimuli could result in emergent symmetry or anti-symmetry depending on whether the arbitrary conditional discriminations were concurrently trained with identity or oddity discriminations. These findings were consistent with a theory that posits location as a critical feature of the stimulus. The present study was a systematic replication of Urcuiolis Experiment 3 with rats as subjects using odor stimuli. Training was in an automated olfactometer with 14 rats. Two arbitrary conditional discriminations were trained (A1-B2; C1-D2) along with the relevant identity relations. After more than 50 sessions of training, none of the rats had met criteria for symmetry testing (discrimination ratio < .8 on conditional discriminations). Criterion level performances were frequently obtained for the identity relations, but not for the arbitrary relations, and this difference suggests the possible emergence of generalized identity.

 

Auditory Go/No-Go Conditional Discriminations and Derived Symmetry in the Pigeon

JAY HINNENKAMP (University of North Texas), Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas)
Abstract:

Recent work investigating stimulus equivalence has successfully demonstrated symmetrical responding by pigeons (Frank & Wasserman, 2005, Urcuioli, 2008). The robustness of these results, across different stimuli, procedures, and research groups, however, has yet to be established. Following a unsuccessful systematic replication of Urcuioli (2008), in which pigeons failed to respond in accordance with the experimenter defined conditional discriminations, we began to suspect issues related to the discriminability of our visual stimuli. As a result, our laboratory began investigating methods to use auditory stimuli in go/no-go procedures. Our results suggest that acquisition of auditory conditional discriminations was quicker than visual conditional discriminations in a Go, No-Go procedure. These results set the stage for a robust test of Urcuioli's (2008) theory about stimulus class formation. Systematic manipulations to the Urcuioli (2008) procedure, which were implemented in an attempt to drive conditional discrimination acquisition, will also be discussed.

 

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