Effects of Perceived Audiences on Discrimination Learning in Pigeons (Columba livia)
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Matthew Murphy
Major
Psychology
Second Major
Interdis Studies
Presentation Abstract
This study aims to observe differences in the rates of learning a simple discrimination task in pigeons when presented with a video of a pigeon, a puppet, or no video. The audience effect has long been a topic of dispute among social psychologists, namely in why differential performance outcomes arise as a result of exposure to an audience or observer. There have been some studies on the social facilitation effect on nonhuman animals, most measured in terms of increased or decreased feeding habits; however, there are relatively few studies that attempt to measure the effect of an observer on a learning task, and fewer still that use perceived (i.e. nonphysical) audiences or observers. As such, the current study attempts to see what effects, if any, may arise as a result of the type of video presented with a discrimination task. Results and implications will be discussed.
External Presentation
1
Location
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
Start Date
17-4-2019 4:30 PM
End Date
17-4-2019 6:30 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Mueller, Peyton, "Effects of Perceived Audiences on Discrimination Learning in Pigeons (Columba livia)" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 34.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/poster/34
Effects of Perceived Audiences on Discrimination Learning in Pigeons (Columba livia)
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
This study aims to observe differences in the rates of learning a simple discrimination task in pigeons when presented with a video of a pigeon, a puppet, or no video. The audience effect has long been a topic of dispute among social psychologists, namely in why differential performance outcomes arise as a result of exposure to an audience or observer. There have been some studies on the social facilitation effect on nonhuman animals, most measured in terms of increased or decreased feeding habits; however, there are relatively few studies that attempt to measure the effect of an observer on a learning task, and fewer still that use perceived (i.e. nonphysical) audiences or observers. As such, the current study attempts to see what effects, if any, may arise as a result of the type of video presented with a discrimination task. Results and implications will be discussed.