Records |
Author |
Santos, L.R.; Rosati, A.; Sproul, C.; Spaulding, B.; Hauser, M.D. |
Title |
Means-means-end tool choice in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus): finding the limits on primates' knowledge of tools |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
8 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
236-246 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Choice Behavior; Female; Male; *Problem Solving; Saguinus/*psychology |
Abstract |
Most studies of animal tool use require subjects to use one object to gain access to a food reward. In many real world situations, however, animals perform more than one action in sequence to achieve their goals. Of theoretical interest is whether animals have the cognitive capacity to recognize the relationship between consecutive action sequences in which there may be one overall goal and several subgoals. Here we ask if cotton-top tamarins, a species that in captivity uses tools to solve means-end problems, can go one step further and use a sequence of tools (means) to obtain food (end). We first trained subjects to use a pulling tool to obtain a food reward. After this initial training, subjects were presented with problems in which one tool had to be used in combination with a second in order to obtain food. Subjects showed great difficulty when two tools were required to obtain the food reward. Although subjects attended to the connection between the tool and food reward, they ignored the physical connection between the two tools. After training on a two-tool problem, we presented subjects with a series of transfer tests to explore if they would generalize to new types of connections between the tools. Subjects readily transferred to new connections. Our results therefore provide the first evidence to date that tamarins can learn to solve problems involving two tools, but that they do so only with sufficient training. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. laurie.santos@yale.edu |
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1435-9448 |
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PMID:15668762 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2495 |
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Author |
Waite, T.A. |
Title |
Interruptions improve choice performance in gray jays: prolonged information processing versus minimization of costly errors |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
5 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
209-214 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Choice Behavior; Female; Learning; Male; Models, Biological; Motivation; Reinforcement Schedule; Songbirds/*physiology; Time Factors |
Abstract |
Under the assumption that selection favors minimization of costly errors, erroneous choice may be common when its fitness cost is low. According to an adaptive-choice model, this cost depends on the rate at which an animal encounters the choice: the higher this rate, the smaller the cost of choosing a less valuable option. Errors should thus be more common when interruptions to foraging are shorter. A previous experiment supported this prediction: gray jays, Perisoreus canadensis, were more error prone when subjected to shorter delays to access to food rewards. This pattern, though, is also predicted by an attentional-constraints model. Because the subjects were able to inspect the rewards during delays, their improved performance when subjected to longer delays could have been a byproduct of the experimentally prolonged opportunity for information processing. To evaluate this possibility, a follow-up experiment manipulated both delay to access and whether rewards could be inspected during delays. Depriving jays of the opportunity to inspect rewards (using opaque lids) induced only a small, nonsignificant increase in error rate. This effect was independent of length of delay and so the jays' improved performance when subjected to longer delays was not simply a byproduct of prolonged information processing. More definitively, even when the jays were prevented from inspecting rewards during delays, their performance improved when subjected to longer delays. The findings are thus consistent with the adaptive-choice model. |
Address |
Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1735 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1293, USA. waite.1@osu.edu |
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1435-9448 |
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PMID:12461598 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2592 |
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Author |
Hill, S.E.; Ryan, M.J. |
Title |
The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Biology letters |
Abbreviated Journal |
Biol Lett |
Volume |
2 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
203-205 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Choice Behavior; Female; Male; *Mating Preference, Animal; Poecilia/*physiology |
Abstract |
Female mate choice copying is a socially mediated mate choice behaviour, in which a male's attractiveness to females increases if he was previously chosen by another female as a mate. Although copying has been demonstrated in numerous species, little is known about the specific benefits it confers to copying females. Here we demonstrate that the mate choice behaviour of female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) is influenced by the phenotypic quality of model females with whom males are observed consorting. Test females choosing between two males of similar body length were found to significantly increase time spent with previously non-preferred males after having observed them with a relatively high-quality female. Conversely, females were found to significantly decrease time spent with previously preferred males after having observed them with a relatively low-quality female. Female mate choice copying might be maintained by selection based on the heuristic value it provides females choosing between males whose quality differences are not easily distinguishable. |
Address |
University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, 1 University Station A8000, Austin, TX 78712, USA. sehill@mail.utexas.edu |
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1744-9561 |
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Notes |
PMID:17148362 |
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no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
1820 |
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Author |
Dugatkin, L.A.; Godin, J.G. |
Title |
Reversal of female mate choice by copying in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1992 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
249 |
Issue |
1325 |
Pages |
179-184 |
Keywords |
Acclimatization; Animals; *Choice Behavior; Female; Male; Poecilia; *Sexual Behavior, Animal |
Abstract |
Ever since Fisher (1958) formalized models of sexual selection, female mate choice has been assumed to be a genetically determined trait. Females, however, may also use social cues to select mates. One such cue might be the mate choice of conspecifics. Here we report the first direct evidence that a female's preference for a particular male can in fact be reversed by social cues. In our experiments using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), this reversal was mediated by mate-copying opportunities, such that a female (the 'focal' female) is given the opportunity to choose between two males, followed by a period in which she observes a second female (the 'model' female) displaying a preference for the male she herself did not prefer initially. When allowed to choose between the same males a second time, compared with control tests, a significant proportion of focal females reversed their mate choice and copied the preference of the model female. These results provide strong evidence for the role of non-genetic factors in sexual selection and underlie the need for new models of sexual selection that explicitly incorporate both genetic and cultural aspects of mate choice. |
Address |
Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada |
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English |
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ISSN |
0962-8452 |
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Notes |
PMID:1360679 |
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no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
1824 |
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Author |
Brosnan, S.F.; de Waal, F.B.M. |
Title |
Responses to a simple barter task in chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Primates |
Abbreviated Journal |
Primates |
Volume |
46 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
173-182 |
Keywords |
Analysis of Variance; Animals; Choice Behavior/*physiology; Conditioning (Psychology)/physiology; Learning/*physiology; Pan troglodytes/*physiology; Reward; Sex Factors; *Social Behavior; *Token Economy |
Abstract |
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) frequently participate in social exchange involving multiple goods and services of variable value, yet they have not been tested in a formalized situation to see whether they can barter using multiple tokens and rewards. We set up a simple barter economy with two tokens and two associated rewards and tested chimpanzees on their ability to obtain rewards by returning the matching token in situations in which their access to tokens was unlimited or limited. Chimpanzees easily learned to associate value with the tokens, as expected, and did barter, but followed a simple strategy of favoring the higher-value token, regardless of the reward proffered, instead of a more complex but more effective strategy of returning the token that matched the reward. This response is similar to that shown by capuchin monkeys in our previous study. We speculate that this response, while not ideal, may be sufficient to allow for stability of the social exchange system in these primates, and that the importance of social barter to both species may have led to this convergence of strategies. |
Address |
Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. sbrosna@emory.edu |
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ISSN |
0032-8332 |
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Notes |
PMID:15824938 |
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no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
167 |
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Author |
Washburn, D.A.; Astur, R.S. |
Title |
Exploration of virtual mazes by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
6 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
161-168 |
Keywords |
Animals; Choice Behavior/*physiology; Computer Peripherals; Macaca mulatta/*physiology; Male; Maze Learning/*physiology; Space Perception/*physiology; User-Computer Interface |
Abstract |
A chasm divides the huge corpus of maze studies found in the literature, with animals tested in mazes on the one side and humans tested with mazes on the other. Advances in technology and software have made possible the production and use of virtual mazes, which allow humans to navigate computerized environments and thus for humans and nonhuman animals to be tested in comparable spatial domains. In the present experiment, this comparability is extended even further by examining whether rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) can learn to explore virtual mazes. Four male macaques were trained to manipulate a joystick so as to move through a virtual environment and to locate a computer-generated target. The animals succeeded in learning this task, and located the target even when it was located in novel alleys. The search pattern within the maze for these animals resembled the pattern of maze navigation observed for monkeys that were tested on more traditional two-dimensional computerized mazes. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. dwashburn@gsu.edu |
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1435-9448 |
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Notes |
PMID:12750961 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2569 |
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Author |
Fragaszy, D.; Johnson-Pynn, J.; Hirsh, E.; Brakke, K. |
Title |
Strategic navigation of two-dimensional alley mazes: comparing capuchin monkeys and chimpanzees |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
6 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
149-160 |
Keywords |
Animals; Cebus/*physiology; Choice Behavior/*physiology; Computer Peripherals; Female; Male; Maze Learning/*physiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Pan troglodytes/*physiology; Space Perception/*physiology; Species Specificity; User-Computer Interface |
Abstract |
Planning is an important component of cognition that contributes, for example, to efficient movement through space. In the current study we presented novel two-dimensional alley mazes to four chimpanzees and three capuchin monkeys to identify the nature and efficiency of planning in relation to varying task parameters. All the subjects solved more mazes without error than expected by chance, providing compelling evidence that both species planned their choices in some manner. The probability of making a correct choice on mazes designed to be more demanding and presented later in the testing series was higher than on earlier, simpler mazes (chimpanzees), or unchanged (capuchin monkeys), suggesting microdevelopment of strategic choice. Structural properties of the mazes affected both species' choices. Capuchin monkeys were less likely than chimpanzees to take a correct path that initially led away from the goal but that eventually led to the goal. Chimpanzees were more likely to make an error by passing a correct path than by turning onto a wrong path. Chimpanzees and one capuchin made more errors on choices farther in sequence from the goal. Each species corrected errors before running into the end of an alley in approximately 40% of cases. Together, these findings suggest nascent planning abilities in each species, and the prospect for significant development of strategic planning capabilities on tasks presenting multiple simultaneous or sequential spatial relations. The computerized maze paradigm appears well suited to investigate movement planning and spatial perception in human and nonhuman primates alike. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. doree@arches.uga.edu |
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1435-9448 |
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Notes |
PMID:12955584 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2557 |
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Author |
Gibson, B.M.; Shettleworth, S.J. |
Title |
Competition among spatial cues in a naturalistic food-carrying task |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Learning & behavior : a Psychonomic Society publication |
Abbreviated Journal |
Learn Behav |
Volume |
31 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
143-159 |
Keywords |
Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; Appetitive Behavior; *Association Learning; *Attention; Choice Behavior; *Cues; *Discrimination Learning; Male; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Space Perception; *Spatial Behavior |
Abstract |
Rats collected nuts from a container in a large arena in four experiments testing how learning about a beacon or cue at a goal interacts with learning about other spatial cues (place learning). Place learning was quick, with little evidence of competition from the beacon (Experiments 1 and 2). Rats trained to approach a beacon regardless of its location were subsequently impaired when the well-learned beacon was removed and other spatial cues identified the location of the goal (Experiment 3). The competition between beacon and place cues reflected learned irrelevance for place cues (Experiment 4). The findings differ from those of some studies of associative interactions between cue and place learning in other paradigms. |
Address |
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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ISSN |
1543-4494 |
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PMID:12882373 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
368 |
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Author |
Cheng, K.; Wignall, A.E. |
Title |
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) holding on to memories: response competition causes retroactive interference effects |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
9 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
141-150 |
Keywords |
Animals; Bees/*physiology; Choice Behavior/physiology; *Cues; Memory/*physiology; Perceptual Masking/physiology; Space Perception/*physiology; Spatial Behavior/*physiology |
Abstract |
Five experiments on honeybees examined how the learning of a second task interferes with what was previously learned. Free flying bees were tested for landmark-based memory in variations on a paradigm of retroactive interference. Bees first learned Task 1, were tested on Task 1 (Test 1), then learned Task 2, and were tested again on Task 1 (Test 2). A 60-min delay (waiting in a box) before Test 2 caused no performance decrements. If the two tasks had conflicting response requirements, (e.g., target right of a green landmark in Task 1 and left of a blue landmark in Task 2), then a strong decrement on Test 2 was found (retroactive interference effect). When response competition was minimised during training or testing, however, the decrement on Test 2 was small or nonexistent. The results implicate response competition as a major contributor to the retroactive interference effect. The honeybee seems to hold on to memories; new memories do not wipe out old ones. |
Address |
Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour and Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. ken@galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au |
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1435-9448 |
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PMID:16374626 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2477 |
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Author |
Brosnan, S.F.; de Waal, F.B.M. |
Title |
Socially learned preferences for differentially rewarded tokens in the brown capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
Volume |
118 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
133-139 |
Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cebus; *Choice Behavior; Female; *Learning; Male; *Reward; *Social Behavior |
Abstract |
Social learning is assumed to underlie traditions, yet evidence indicating social learning in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella), which exhibit traditions, is sparse. The authors tested capuchins for their ability to learn the value of novel tokens using a previously familiar token-exchange economy. Capuchins change their preferences in favor of a token worth a high-value food reward after watching a conspecific model exchange 2 differentially rewarded tokens, yet they fail to develop a similar preference after watching tokens paired with foods in the absence of a conspecific model. They also fail to learn that the value of familiar tokens has changed. Information about token value is available in all situations, but capuchins seem to pay more attention in a social situation involving novel tokens. |
Address |
Living Links Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. sbrosna@emory.edu |
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0735-7036 |
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PMID:15250800 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
173 |
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