The Generality of the Autoshaped Response
The problem. To determine if autoshaping is restricted to responses which are biologically preorganized, or if a response which is not overlearned or pre-organized, but is elicited by an appetitive stimulus (grain), can be autoshaped. Procedure. The autoshaped responses of two debeaked pigeons which had developed modified eating responses were compared to responses made by three control subjects which contacted grain normally. Findings. The control subjects exhibited normal keylight responding almost exclusively. The experimental pigeons contacted the key with a percentage of normal and modified responding similar to that directed to grain, though the modified responses were less extreme. Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrate that a component of the modified eating response is directed to a keylight which is paired with grain availability. Recommendations. Further experimentation in this area is necessary before all the variables which control the form of the autoshaped response can be determined.
Autoshaping (Psychology), Conditioned response, Behavior modification, Pigeons--Feedins and feeds
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