Chunking during serial learning by a pigeon: II. Integrity of a chunk on a new list.

Can a group of items that a pigeon chunks on one list function as such on a second list? In Experiment 1, the ordinal position of the chunk was held constant across both lists. Following training on a list of colors and achromatic geometric forms (A----B----C----D'----E'), the integrity of the color chunk [A----B----C] was maintained on a list of five colors (A----B----C----F----G) even though the basis for establishing that chunk was eliminated. The integrity of the chunk [A----B----C] was also maintained on a new list of colors and forms (A----B----C----D*----E*). In Experiment 2, the ordinal position of a chunk established on list1 (A----B----C'----D') was changed on list 2. As shown by positive transfer between lists 1 and 2, the integrity of the chunks [A----B] and [C'----D'] was maintained on lists X'----A----B----Y' and X'----C'----D'----Y', respectively. Conversely, the heterogeneous list X'----B----C'----Y' took longer to learn than the original list.