Abstract
Imitative learning has been difficult to demonstrate in animals, partly because techniques have not adequately ruled out alternative accounts based on motivational and perceptual mechanisms (Zentall, 1996). Recently, it has been proposed that differences in the effects of observation of two very different responsetopographies would rule out such artifactual, alternative accounts (Akins & Zentall, 1996). In the present research, we confirmed that strong evidence for imitation can be found in Japanese quail, and that such imitation requires the imitator’s observation ofreinforced responding by the demonstrator. Thus, under the present conditions, it appears that an observer will imitate a demonstrated responseonly if it also observes the appetitive consequences of that response.
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This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grants IBN-9511656 and BNS-9019080 to C. K. A. and T. R. Z., respectively, and National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH 45979 to T. R. Z. We thank Rebecca Elliot for help in training demonstrators and collecting test data.
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Akins, C.K., Zentall, T.R. Imitation in Japanese quail: The role of reinforcement of demonstrator responding. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 5, 694–697 (1998). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208847
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208847