Pigeons, portals, and Pacman: Insightful problem solving and navigation using a touchscreen video game.
Video games have been used in several studies to investigate problem solving. We present empirical findings from a redesigned touchscreen navigation "grid‐world" procedure resembling the classic video game PacMan (hereafter, "pacman") played by pigeons. Our objective was to develop a procedure to st...
| Published in: | Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Vol. 125; no. 2; pp. 1 - 25 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Mar2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=192462870&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 192462870 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00225002 JOE jtl: Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior issn: 00225002 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Mar2026 vid: 125 iid: 2 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell artinfo: ui: 192462870 10.1002/jeab.70083 ppf: 1 ppct: 24 formats: tig: atl: Pigeons, portals, and Pacman: Insightful problem solving and navigation using a touchscreen video game. aug: au: Rodrigues, Rafael S. Kirkman, Cyrus Garcia‐Mijares, Miriam Blaisdell, Aaron P. affil: Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA,, USA su: Awareness Problem solving Video games Pigeons Navigation Touch screens Generalization Maze puzzles sug: subj: Awareness Problem solving Video games Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing All other poultry production Video game publishers Video game design and development services Home entertainment equipment merchant wholesalers Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing Pigeons Navigation Touch screens Generalization Maze puzzles keyword: insight pigeons video game insight pigeons video game ab: Video games have been used in several studies to investigate problem solving. We present empirical findings from a redesigned touchscreen navigation "grid‐world" procedure resembling the classic video game PacMan (hereafter, "pacman") played by pigeons. Our objective was to develop a procedure to study insight, similar to that of Epstein et al. (1984). During Training Phase 1, pigeons learned to guide a virtual pacman across a touchscreen arena to a banana goal (triggering an "eating" animation and food delivery) and to navigate around barriers. In Training Phase 2, they learned to traverse portals that transported the pacman across the arena. Each tool was trained in a distinct context: barrier navigation with banana targets and portal use with a green dot target. Finally, we tested for functional generalization of the two learned tools in a series of novel configurations of puzzle tasks (insight tests). Results showed that some subjects were able to learn how to navigate the pacman with a high degree of control and showed evidence for functional generalization and insight. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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