Anthropocentricity and pragmatism seem to be the main reasons why pigeons have served as the "black boxes" of so many psychologists and neurobehaviorists during the past decade. Anthropocentricity, because at first glance pigeons show several strik- ing features which bear a beautiful similarity to human systems in respects such as drinking, bipedality, territoriality, and apparently easy pursual of individual interests. Pragmatism, because of the suspected lesser complexity of the pigeon's system, which enables them to serve as good paradigms for human systems. For example, the visually...
Anthropocentricity and pragmatism seem to be the main reasons why pigeons have served as the "black boxes" of so many psychologists and neurobehaviori...