On Apr 21, 2009, at 2:40 PM, Ken Steele wrote:
msylves...@copper.net wrote:
Are pigeons preferred in demonstrating conditioning principles
than rats
or vice versa?
It depends on the phenomenon under investigation. One advantage
of pigeons is that they are very long-lived. You can run a
variety of parametric manipulations for years without worrying
that your subjects may die of old age. They also produce a wider
range of response rates--which makes it easier to demonstrate
differences.
Actually, this is a manipulanda artifact.
I've used pigeon response keys with rats, and gotten rates over 5
responses per second.
I've never tried to push the low end -- pigeons may tolerated longer
intervals, 'tho I'm skeptical.
On the other hand, about all pigeons can do easily is peck at
objects. Rats can press levers, turn wheels, jump, swim, run in
wheels, run through mazes, pull on strings, etc.
Many people who work with rats for a long time develop various
kinds of allergic reactions to the rats. The incidence of
allergic reactions to pigeons is lower in my experience. But
pigeons are a source of histoplasmosis (and other nasty
infections) due to the inhalation of fecal material in the clouds
of "pigeon dust" that are produced when one walks into a colony.
Rats can bite but pigeons have soft beaks that can't break the
skin. (But don't run with a pigeon or you may put out an eye.)
Ken
---------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu
Professor and Assistant Chairperson
Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
USA
---------------------------------------------------------------
---
To make changes to your subscription contact:
Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Paul Brandon
Emeritus Professor of Psychology
Minnesota State University, Mankato
paul.bran...@mnsu.edu
---
To make changes to your subscription contact:
Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
