DYNAMICS OF TIME DISCRIMINATION: II. THE EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE IMPULSES

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Abstract
According to a diffusion generalization model, time discrimination is determined by the frequency and recency of preceding intervals of time. A procedure for studying rapid timing was used to investigate whether pigeons' wait‐time responses were sensitive to these factors. In Experiment 1 the number (two or eight) and spacing (consecutive or far apart) of 5‐s interfood intervals (called impulses) intercalated in a series of 15‐s interfood intervals (nonimpulses) were studied. Experiment 2 was identical to the first but the interfood intervals were increased by a factor of three. Overall, impulses shortened wait times in the next interfood interval. However, several impulses occurring in succession extended the localized effect of an impulse: Wait times following a set of eight‐close impulses were slow to recover to preimpulse levels. The results show that linear waiting is only an approximation to the dynamic process, and a process that is sensitive to events in an animal's remote past, such as the diffusion generalization model, provides a better account of rapid timing effects.

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