Mediated Transfer Testing Provides Evidence for Common Coding of Duration and Line Samples in Many-to-One Matching in Pigeons
Douglas S. Grant and Marcia L. Spetch
University of Alberta

A three-phase transfer design was used to determine whether pigeons use a single, common code to represent line and duration samples which are associated with the same comparison stimulus. In Phase 1, two sets of samples (two lines and two durations) were associated with either a single set of comparisons (group MTO, many-to-one) or with different sets of comparisons (group OTO, one-to-one). In Phase 2, one set of samples was associated with a new set of comparisons. In Phase 3 (transfer test), the alternate set of samples was substituted for the Phase 2 samples. Group MTO, but not group OTO, demonstrated immediate transfer. It was concluded that associating a line and a duration sample with the same comparison stimulus results in those samples being represented by a single code.