Abstract
Pigeons were trained in a two-choice delayed matching-to-sample task with red and green hues. A brief postsample cue (a vertical or horizontal line) signaled whether the comparison stimuli would be presented or omitted on each trial. Comparison stimuli were always presented following the remember-cue (R-cue) trial, but never following the forget-cue (F-cue) and no-cue trials. In Experiment 1, matching accuracy on F-cue and no-cue trials was equivalent and was considerably inferior to accuracy on R-cue trials. In Experiment 2, the placement of the postsample cue was manipulated. Matching accuracy decreased as the R cue was delayed in the retention interval, but performance in the F-cue condition was not affected. These data indicate that the no-cue condition can function as an implicit F cue and that the R cue can function to initiate and maintain rehearsal.
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This research was supported by Grant A6378 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to Angelo Santi.
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Santi, A., Savich, J. Directed forgetting effects in pigeons: Remember cues initiate rehearsal. Animal Learning & Behavior 13, 365–369 (1985). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208011
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208011