Species-specific response-topography of chickens’ and pigeons’ water-induced autoshaped responding

•This study represents a unique paradigm in comparative psychology.•We compared autoshaped (conditioned) and drinking (unconditioned) responses in pigeons and chickens.•The two species differed in their conditioned responding even though the same unconditioned reinforcer and deprivation regimen was used.•The work by Bitterman (1975), who defined benchmarks for comparative psychology, received particular attention in the Discussion.

Four pigeons and eight chickens received autoshaping training where a keylight (conditioned stimulus) signaled response-independent deliveries of water (unconditioned stimulus). Pigeons drink while keeping their beaks submerged in water and moving their beaks to create suction (“mumbling”), whereas chickens drink by trapping a small amount of water in their mouths and then lifting their heads so the water trickles down. This experiment tested whether these and other species-specific differences in drinking and related behaviors of pigeons and chickens would be reflected in the form of conditioned (autoshaped) responding. Touchscreens and videotapes were used for data recording. Results showed that chickens moved their heads more than pigeons when drinking (unconditioned response). The birds also differed in conditioned responding in the presence of the keylight: Pigeons produced more keyswitch closures and mumbled at the keylight more than chickens whereas chickens scratched more than pigeons. In conclusion, with this unique comparative method that employed identical contingencies and comparable deprivation levels, species-specific differences in unconditioned responses and, more importantly, differences in their corresponding conditioned responses were observed.