The "Peak Shift" Phenomenon In 1959, Hanson did a similar experiment. But in addition to training the pigeons to peck at the S+ color, he also trained some to avoid a similar color, called S-. In one case the S- color was very similar to the S+ color, and in another, the S- was more distant from S+. When they were presented with a range of colors, the "control" pigeons (trained only to peck at S+) showed a pattern of generalization -- just as in the Guttman & Kalish experiment. However, in the pigeons trained to avoid S-, the peak of the generalization curve was shifted away from the S- color. In the case of the S- color that was distant from S+, the peak
shift was small. But when S- was very close to S+ (555nm and 550nm,
respectively), the peak shift was stronger. |
Previous | |||||
This module: Start | Contents Principles of Animal Behavior: Home | Modules | Contents | Links | Behavior News Problems using this page? Email the webmaster |