Acquisition of the People Concept in Pigeons

Abstract

The present investigation sought to determine the minimal number of positive and negative examples of a complex concept necessary for criterion mastery. A complex concept was defined as one in which the stimulus properties are not easily specified by physical measurement. Ss were presented with a stimulus display containing pictures of people and pictures where people were absent. Responses to pictures of people were reinforced with food. The results indicated that (1) pigeons rapidly form a complex concept where they are required to meet criterion performance on each discrimination problem, (2) the minimal number of positive and negative examples of the concept required to reach mastery ranged from 3 to 17, and (3) this procedure proved to be a successful and efficient method for studying complex concepts.