Suppose that a hungry pigeon B watches pigeon A step on a bar to earn food dispensed through a feeder.Pigeon A previously had been shaped to bar press for food.What is the BEST hypothesis of pigeon B's behavior when it is subsequently placed in the operant chamber?
A)It will quickly begin stepping on the bar to earn food.
B)It will repeatedly peck at the feeder and fail to learn to bar press because pecking is more biologically relevant.
C)It will not engage in bar pressing until it is shaped to do so by the experimenter.
D)It will engage in superstitious behaviors such as wing flapping.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pigeon B has observed that pigeon A received food by stepping on the bar, and this observation is likely to influence its behavior. Pigeon B may imitate the observed behavior of pigeon A and start bar pressing to earn food, especially if it is already familiar with the operant conditioning paradigm. This is a common phenomenon in social learning, where one individual's behavior is influenced by observing the consequences of another individual's behavior.

Suppose That a Hungry Pigeon B Watches Pigeon a Step