Abstract
A new model of the MPP (multistimulus, portable, and programmable) conditioning panel for pigeons is described. The two-response-key MPP panel originally developed by J. D. Delius and his collaborators (Xia, Delius, & Siemann, 1996) allows pigeons to perform in their familiar home cages. Stimuli are presented on the horizontal plane with light-emitting diode matrices. Food rewards are dispensed directly onto the stimulus display and the response location. Our new panel is designed to attain highly reliable food-dispenser function and to increase the range of stimuli and discrimination procedures available. Visual stimuli are presented with a miniature LC monitor affixed under the horizontal platform. Two different types of platforms, one contains a single rectangular key and the other has two side-by-side keys, are replaceable. Two experiments (a two-choice discrimination task and a go/no-go discrimination task) demonstrated the effectiveness of the system.
