TYPE OF FEATURE AFFECTS TRANSFER IN OPERANT SERIAL FEATURE-POSITIVE DISCRIMINATIONS

In two experiments, the effects of feature identity in operant serial feature-positive discriminations were examined with rats. Rats were tr ained with two serial feature-positive discriminations (F1 --> T1+/T1- and F2 --> T2+/T2-), in which different operants were reinforced with delivery of a sucrose solution during two auditory target cues (T1 an d T2). The features (F1 and F2) were two visual cues, two flavored suc rose solutions, or one visual cue and one sucrose solution Transfer of a feature's control to the target of the other discrimination was obs erved only when the features were from the same modality. When observe d, transfer responding was of the form originally trained to the targe t, rather than the feature, and was preserved after feature extinction . Control groups showed that the differential transfer was not solely the consequence of differential feature generalization. Implications f or theories of occasion setting are discussed.