A study of figural equivalence in the pigeon.

Abstract

The nature and extent of transfer of an acquired visual discrimination of figures varying from original training figures with respect to the stimulus dimensions of rotation, cue reduction, size, distortion, and brightness was studied in the pigeon. The extent of response transfer is reported as great as (or greater than) that in a mammal in similar situations. This differential response had its basis in an adient response to the triangle, and neither avoidance of square nor response on the basis of relational properties was implicated. This adient response was not to the class-form, triangle, or io the specific-shape of the training triangle. The pigeons failed to transfer to rotated figures, and showed a preference for the larger of two visual figures. Some changes of pattern disrupted the differential response. An hypothesis is advanced to account for the extensive transfer to the other testing figures, involving the acquisition of response tendencies to various aspects of the single triangle. Predictions about the character of acquisition and response transfer of an acquired visual figure discrimination are derived from the formulation.