RESISTANCE TO CHANGE AND TRANSFER OF FUNCTION: AN EXPLORATION THROUGH SECOND ORDER CONDITIONING IN PIGEONS

Abstract

Resistance to change is the degree to which behavior persist when conditions of training are altered or disrupted. Resistance to change has been sayed to be governed by stimulus-stimulus relations, according to Behavioral Momentum Theory, however, several studies have shown contradictory results, putting in question Pavlovian influences. A second-order conditioning paradigm was used in order to clarify this question, since through second-order conditioning, a stimulus with no direct history of reinforcement can gain stimulus control due to the pairing with another stimulus with direct history of reinforcement. During Experiment 1, five pigeons where exposed to a control and experimental condition. During control condition, pigeons where trained under a two component multiple schedule VI 30 VI 120 until stability, then were exposed to neutral stimuli presented in an unpaired manner without consequences. Extinction and prefeeding probes where carried out right after, with discriminative stimuli (i.e., multiple schedule) and neutral stimuli (i.e., second-order conditioning). Once all pigeons went through the probes, experimental condition began, which was identical to the control condition with the exception of neutral stimuli presented in a paired manner (i.e., second-order conditioning) with the discriminative stimuli, after baseline training. Results showed no differential resistance to change for the neutral stimuli, but greater resistance for the discriminative stimulus with richer history of reinforcement. In Experiment 2, five pigeons where exposed to conditions similar to the experimental condition, with baseline training under a mult VI 30 VI 120 until stability and then exposure to neutral stimuli in a paired manner with the discriminative stimuli, however baseline sessions and second-order sessions alternated each day. Extinction probes where carried out, showing mixed results for the neutral stimuli and greater resistance to change for discriminative stimuli with richer history of reinforcement. In Experiment 3, the same 4 pigeons of Experiment 2 where exposed to different stimuli. Ten sessions of baseline training where followed by four second-order conditioning sessions. In this experiment, the pairs of neutral and discriminative stimuli where presented isolated, with two sessions for each pair (i.e., a total of four sessions), results where similar to Experiment 2. Results suggests two things: 1) Pavlovian contingencies do not influence resistance to change by itself, and 2) the procedures used do not allow for the formation of Pavlovian relations, and hence, do not allow for transfer.