[From Rick Marken (960813.1300)]
Bill Leach (960813.1438 EDT)
I think that maybe you now recognize that your basis was correct, that is
the pigeons did control the image on the "screen" and as a side effect the
bomb was guided.
As I understand it now, the pigeon controlled a perception of the
relationship between its "bionic" beak and the image; the _location_ of the
image was not intentionally controlled (as far as I can tell; but this
could have been easily tested if Skinner knew the first thing about
control;-)). I had been under the impression that the pigeons were actually
controlling the location of the image by pecking in the appropriate
"off image" locations on the screen in order to bring the image back to
center -- but they were not. They were probably just controlling the
relationship "beak on image". So I was _not_ correct and I will listen to no
more of your efforts to tell me that I was;-))
Me:
what was the problem Skinner was trying to solve with the pigeon?
Bill L.
1) Identify the correct target and provide useable signals relating the
bomb's position to the target's position.
Based on both Hank's and Skinner's description of the situation it sounded
like there was no need to "identify the correct target". It sounded like
there was only one "image" to be pecked; if there had been more than one
image I think the pigeon would have had a problem (as though the poor thing
didn't have a major problem already). Of course, there is always some
"identification" needed to find a target image in a field of varying optical
intensities; but I get the impression that the target image "stood out" from
the other possible images. That is, I think the target image was something
that could have been found with a simple threshold detector; is this
correct? I guess the way to tell is to see what Skinner trained the birds to
peck. Were they trained to peck at the brightest or largest of several
images? Or were they trained (as I think they were) to peck at the only
visible image present?
Me:
Was the technology really not there to transform an optical to an electrical
or mechanical representation of target location without the bird?
Bill L.
2) Yes, the technology really was not there.
Thanks. That answers my question -- if not my thesis;-)
Best
Rick