Delayed matching in pigeons: can apparent memory loss be attributed to the delay of reinforcement of sample-orienting behavior?

Metacognition in Animals

“…Although observing responses may have a basis in reinforcement (De Lorge & Clark, 1971; Shahan & Podlesnik, 2008; Steiner, 1970; Zentall, Clement, & Kaiser, 1998; Zentall, Hogan, Howard, & Moore, 1978), even if they did not have a basis in reinforcement, the Smith et al (2008) low-level model could be applied to this situation because observing responses may occur in a stimulus independent fashion. …”

Delayed matching to sample in pigeons: Effects of delay of reinforcement and illuminated delays

“…Thus, their results suggest that much of the decrease in matching accuracy typically found with increasing retention interval may be attributable to the increase in sample-reinforcer interval. Zentall, Clement, and Kaiser (1998) reported a result that offers indirect support for an effect of delay of reinforcement on the association between the sample and the correct comparison response. They trained pigeons on 0-s delayed matching with red and green samples and comparison stimuli and, in blocks of sessions, systematically increased the sample-comparison delay up to 16 s. Not surprisingly, they found that when the pigeons were transferred from the 0-s delay to the 1-s delay, matching accuracy improved between the first transfer session (at the 1-s delay) and second transfer session.…”

“…Although sample-comparison delay has received considerable attention and some research has been directed to delay of reinforcement, the results of research on delay of reinforcement have been somewhat equivocal because in all cases it has been manipulated within-subjects together with sample-comparison delay. Thus, the purpose of the present experiments was to further explore the relation between delay of reinforcement and delayed matching accuracy suggested by Zentall et al (1998), by inserting delays following the response to the sample or following the response to the comparison using a between groups design, rather than the within subject design used by McCarthy and Davison (1986) and others in which the variable effect of delay following comparison choice may have been influenced from carryover effects between conditions.…”