AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Reinforcing effects of chaffinch song

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1967
Authors:Stevenson, JG
Journal:Animal Behaviour
Volume:15
Issue:4
Date Published:1967
ISBN Number:0003-3472
Keywords:Fringilla, Fringilla coelebs, Fringillidae
Abstract:When young chaffinches turned on either white noise or song in an operant situation, a reinforcing effect of song, but not noise, was found. For one out of eight birds in the noise group, responding to an active perch, divided by responding to both the active and an inactive perch, was significantly lower when the active perch did produce noise than when it did not. By contrast, for five out of eight birds in the song group this ratio was significantly higher when the active perch did produce song than when it did not. However, the effects of song on responding to the active perch did not overcome initial perch preferences and did not produce a high steady rate of responding.
URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0003347267900401
Short Title:Animal Behaviour
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith