INTRADIMENSIONAL TRANSFER OF DURATION MATCHING-TO-SAMPLE IN PIGEONS WITH SIGNALS DIFFERING IN COLOR AND LOCATION

Duration matching-to-sample (MTS) was used to study the influence of s ignal attributes on temporal transfer in pigeons. Each of two groups w as trained on two problems that involved 2 and 10 s duration samples t hat varied with respect to color and-or spatial location. For Group Co lor, signals were either a red or white light projected from the front wall. For Group Location, signals were a white light from either the front wall or the ceiling. Within each group, each combination of sign al, type (color or location) and duration was associated with a differ ent choice stimulus, and one set of color choices always followed one signal type and a different set of color choices always followed the o ther signal type. Transfer tests involved a set of choices that had no t previously been associated with the type of signal presented on that trial. Accuracy on transfer trials was very high in Group Color but a t a chance level in Group Location, which indicates that temporal tran sfer occurs when signals emanate from the same location bur not when s ignals emanate from different locations. These results are discussed i n terms of other evidence of transfer of duration-MTS. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.