Development of a Multistimulus, Portable, and Programmable Conditioning Panel and Studies on Comparative Cognition

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We developed a new model of the MPP (Multistimulus, Portable, and Programmable) conditioning panel for pigeons. Researches conducted by using the conditioning panel demonstrated the efficacy of the panel for behavioral studies in the field of comparative cognition.1. Depelopment of a new MPP panel : The MPP panel can be attached to the subjects' home cages and allows a laboratory environment more similar to that in which free-ranging pigeons may normally learn during foraging. The new panel is designed to attain highly reliable food-dispenser function and to increase the range of available stimuli and discrimination procedures. Visual stimuli are presented beneath the horizontally aligned response keys with a miniature LC monitor affixed under the horizontal platform. Two different types of platforms, one with a single key and the other with two side-by-side keys, are replaceable. It was demonstrated that the apparatus is an efficient alternative to a conventional conditioning chamber2. Studies by using the new MPP panel : Behavioral studies on categorization by pigeons revealed a prototype effect as the central tendency of categories and the formation of functionally equivalence classes, using morphed images of human faces as stimuli.3. Behavioral studies on the "transitive inference" and the mathematical learning-models : Application of the mathematical learning-models revealed that the animal behavior referred to as "transitive inference" can be well explained by a simple learning mechanism rather than higher cognitive processes.