FOURIER-ANALYSIS OF MOVEMENT PATTERNS IN PIGEONS

Fourier analysis describes the amount of variation in a time series by partitioning it into sinusoids of different amplitudes and wavelength s and quantifying the extent to which these waves are synchronized. Th e importance of a given wave is represented by its contribution to the explained variance of the time series. To illustrate its potential ap plication to the study of movement, Fourier analysis was used to quant ify the movement patterns of 2 pigeons on a variable-interval (VI) and a variable-time (VT) schedule of reinforcement. For comparison, the m ovements of 2 pigeons that did not receive reinforcement were similarl y analyzed. Characteristic frequencies were higher during VI than duri ng VT, and relatively low during nonreinforcement. We concluded that F ourier analysis can be used to represent movement patterns compactly, study their periodicity, stereotypy, and resonance, and assist in comp uter simulations and models of movement.