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Author Klein, E.D.; Zentall, T.R. doi  openurl
  Title Imitation and affordance learning by pigeons (Columba livia) Type Journal Article
  Year 2003 Publication Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) Abbreviated Journal J Comp Psychol  
  Volume 117 Issue 4 Pages 414-419  
  Keywords Animals; *Behavior, Animal; Columbidae; Cues; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Odors; Sound  
  Abstract The bidirectional control procedure was used to determine whether pigeons (Columba livia) would imitate a demonstrator that pushed a sliding screen for food. One group of observers saw a trained demonstrator push a sliding screen door with its beak (imitation group), whereas 2 other groups watched the screen move independently (possibly learning how the environment works) with a conspecific either present (affordance learning with social facilitation) or absent (affordance learning alone). A 4th group could not see the screen being pushed (sound and odor control). Imitation was evidenced by the finding that pigeons that saw a demonstrator push the screen made a higher proportion of matching screen pushes than observers in 2 appropriate control conditions. Further, observers that watched a screen move without a demonstrator present made a significantly higher proportion of matching screen pushes than would be expected by chance. Thus, these pigeons were capable of affordance learning.  
  Address Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-004, USA  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  ISSN (up) 0735-7036 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:14717643 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 234  
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Author Dorrance, B.R.; Zentall, T.R. openurl 
  Title Imitative learning in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) depends on the motivational state of the observer quail at the time of observation Type Journal Article
  Year 2001 Publication Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) Abbreviated Journal J Comp Psychol  
  Volume 115 Issue 1 Pages 62-67  
  Keywords Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Coturnix; Female; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Male; *Motivation; Reinforcement (Psychology); Time Factors  
  Abstract The 2-action method was used to examine whether imitative learning in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) depends on the motivational state of the observer quail at the time of observation of the demonstrated behavior. Two groups of observers were fed before observation (satiated groups), whereas 2 other groups of observers were deprived of food before observation (hungry groups). Quail were tested either immediately following observation or after a 30-min delay. Results indicated that quail in the hungry groups imitated, whereas those in the satiated groups did not, regardless of whether their test was immediate or delayed. The results suggest that observer quail may not learn (through observation) behavior that leads to a reinforcer for which they are unmotivated at the time of test. In addition, the results show that quail are able to delay the performance of a response acquired through observation (i.e., they show deferred imitation).  
  Address Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506-0044, USA  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  ISSN (up) 0735-7036 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:11334220 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 245  
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Author Nguyen, N.H.; Klein, E.D.; Zentall, T.R. openurl 
  Title Imitation of a two-action sequence by pigeons Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Psychonomic bulletin & review Abbreviated Journal Psychon Bull Rev  
  Volume 12 Issue 3 Pages 514-518  
  Keywords Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Cognition; Columbidae; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning  
  Abstract Developmental psychologists have described imitation as a process that suggests perspective-taking abilities. However, imitative behavior has been found in animals, which are generally not considered capable of taking the perspective of another. Previous studies with birds have demonstrated the imitation of a single response (sometimes referred to as action-level imitation). In the present experiment, we examined the extent to which pigeons would imitate an unfamiliar sequence of two behaviors (sometimes referred to as program-level imitation). Our results indicate that, although there are individual differences, pigeons show a significant tendency to match a demonstrated sequence of behavior involving, first, a response to a treadle (pecking at it or stepping on it) and, second, pushing aside a screen that blocks access to food (a left-vs.-right push).  
  Address University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  ISSN (up) 1069-9384 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:16235638 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 221  
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Author Bloom, P. doi  openurl
  Title Behavior. Can a dog learn a word? Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Science (New York, N.Y.) Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 304 Issue 5677 Pages 1605-1606  
  Keywords Animals; Child; Child, Preschool; *Dogs; Humans; *Learning; *Memory; *Vocabulary  
  Abstract  
  Address Department of Psychology, Yale University, Post Office Box 208205, New Haven, CT 06520-8205, USA. paul.bloom@yale.edu  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 1095-9203 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:15192205 Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 28  
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Author Thornton, A.; McAuliffe, K. doi  openurl
  Title Teaching in wild meerkats Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Science (New York, N.Y.) Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 313 Issue 5784 Pages 227-229  
  Keywords Animals; *Animals, Wild/psychology; Behavior, Animal; *Herpestidae/psychology; *Learning; *Predatory Behavior; South Africa; *Teaching; Vocalization, Animal  
  Abstract Despite the obvious benefits of directed mechanisms that facilitate the efficient transfer of skills, there is little critical evidence for teaching in nonhuman animals. Using observational and experimental data, we show that wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta) teach pups prey-handling skills by providing them with opportunities to interact with live prey. In response to changing pup begging calls, helpers alter their prey-provisioning methods as pups grow older, thus accelerating learning without the use of complex cognition. The lack of evidence for teaching in species other than humans may reflect problems in producing unequivocal support for the occurrence of teaching, rather than the absence of teaching.  
  Address Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. jant2@cam.ac.uk  
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  ISSN (up) 1095-9203 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:16840701 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2834  
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Author Subiaul, F.; Cantlon, J.F.; Holloway, R.L.; Terrace, H.S. doi  openurl
  Title Cognitive imitation in rhesus macaques Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Science (New York, N.Y.) Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 305 Issue 5682 Pages 407-410  
  Keywords Animals; *Cognition; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Macaca mulatta/*physiology/psychology; Male  
  Abstract Experiments on imitation typically evaluate a student's ability to copy some feature of an expert's motor behavior. Here, we describe a type of observational learning in which a student copies a cognitive rule rather than a specific motor action. Two rhesus macaques were trained to respond, in a prescribed order, to different sets of photographs that were displayed on a touch-sensitive monitor. Because the position of the photographs varied randomly from trial to trial, sequences could not be learned by motor imitation. Both monkeys learned new sequences more rapidly after observing an expert execute those sequences than when they had to learn new sequences entirely by trial and error.  
  Address Department of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. subiaul@aol.com  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  ISSN (up) 1095-9203 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:15256673 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2839  
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Author Markman, E.M.; Abelev, M. doi  openurl
  Title Word learning in dogs? Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Trends in Cognitive Sciences Abbreviated Journal Trends. Cognit. Sci.  
  Volume 8 Issue 11 Pages 479-81; discussion 481  
  Keywords Animals; Association Learning; Dogs; *Learning; *Verbal Learning; *Vocabulary  
  Abstract In a recent paper, Kaminski, Call and Fischer report pioneering research on word-learning in a dog. In this commentary we suggest ways of distinguishing referential word use from mere association. We question whether the dog is reasoning by exclusion and, if so, compare three explanations – learned heuristics, default assumptions, and pragmatic reasoning – as they apply to children and might apply to dogs. Kaminski et al.'s work clearly raises important questions about the origins and basis of word learning and social cognition.  
  Address Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Bldg 420, Stanford, CA 94305-2130, USA  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 1364-6613 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:15491899 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 274  
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Author Zentall, T.R. doi  openurl
  Title Imitation: definitions, evidence, and mechanisms Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Animal cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 9 Issue 4 Pages 335-353  
  Keywords Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Motivation; *Social Environment; Transfer (Psychology)  
  Abstract Imitation can be defined as the copying of behavior. To a biologist, interest in imitation is focused on its adaptive value for the survival of the organism, but to a psychologist, the mechanisms responsible for imitation are the most interesting. For psychologists, the most important cases of imitation are those that involve demonstrated behavior that the imitator cannot see when it performs the behavior (e.g., scratching one's head). Such examples of imitation are sometimes referred to as opaque imitation because they are difficult to account for without positing cognitive mechanisms, such as perspective taking, that most animals have not been acknowledged to have. The present review first identifies various forms of social influence and social learning that do not qualify as opaque imitation, including species-typical mechanisms (e.g., mimicry and contagion), motivational mechanisms (e.g., social facilitation, incentive motivation, transfer of fear), attentional mechanisms (e.g., local enhancement, stimulus enhancement), imprinting, following, observational conditioning, and learning how the environment works (affordance learning). It then presents evidence for different forms of opaque imitation in animals, and identifies characteristics of human imitation that have been proposed to distinguish it from animal imitation. Finally, it examines the role played in opaque imitation by demonstrator reinforcement and observer motivation. Although accounts of imitation have been proposed that vary in their level of analysis from neural to cognitive, at present no theory of imitation appears to be adequate to account for the varied results that have been found.  
  Address Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA. Zentall@uky.edu  
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  ISSN (up) 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:17024510 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 217  
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Author Horner, V.; Whiten, A. doi  openurl
  Title Causal knowledge and imitation/emulation switching in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and children (Homo sapiens) Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Animal cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 8 Issue 3 Pages 164-181  
  Keywords Animals; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; *Concept Formation; Female; Humans; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Male; Pan troglodytes; *Problem Solving; Psychomotor Performance; *Social Environment; Species Specificity  
  Abstract This study explored whether the tendency of chimpanzees and children to use emulation or imitation to solve a tool-using task was a response to the availability of causal information. Young wild-born chimpanzees from an African sanctuary and 3- to 4-year-old children observed a human demonstrator use a tool to retrieve a reward from a puzzle-box. The demonstration involved both causally relevant and irrelevant actions, and the box was presented in each of two conditions: opaque and clear. In the opaque condition, causal information about the effect of the tool inside the box was not available, and hence it was impossible to differentiate between the relevant and irrelevant parts of the demonstration. However, in the clear condition causal information was available, and subjects could potentially determine which actions were necessary. When chimpanzees were presented with the opaque box, they reproduced both the relevant and irrelevant actions, thus imitating the overall structure of the task. When the box was presented in the clear condition they instead ignored the irrelevant actions in favour of a more efficient, emulative technique. These results suggest that emulation is the favoured strategy of chimpanzees when sufficient causal information is available. However, if such information is not available, chimpanzees are prone to employ a more comprehensive copy of an observed action. In contrast to the chimpanzees, children employed imitation to solve the task in both conditions, at the expense of efficiency. We suggest that the difference in performance of chimpanzees and children may be due to a greater susceptibility of children to cultural conventions, perhaps combined with a differential focus on the results, actions and goals of the demonstrator.  
  Address Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JU, UK. vkh1@st-andrews.ac.uk  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  ISSN (up) 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:15549502 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 732  
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Author Anderson, J.R.; Kuwahata, H.; Fujita, K. doi  openurl
  Title Gaze alternation during “pointing” by squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)? Type Journal Article
  Year 2007 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 267-271  
  Keywords *Animal Communication; Animals; *Attention; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; *Cues; Female; Humans; *Learning; Male; Saimiri/*physiology  
  Abstract Gaze alternation (GA) is considered a hallmark of pointing in human infants, a sign of intentionality underlying the gesture. GA has occasionally been observed in great apes, and reported only anecdotally in a few monkeys. Three squirrel monkeys that had previously learned to reach toward out-of-reach food in the presence of a human partner were videotaped while the latter visually attended to the food, a distractor object, or the ceiling. Frame-by-frame video analysis revealed that, especially when reaching toward the food, the monkeys rapidly and repeatedly switched between looking at the partner's face and the food. This type of GA suggests that the monkeys were communicating with the partner. However, the monkeys' behavior was not influenced by changes in the partner's focus of attention.  
  Address Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK. jra1@stir.ac.uk  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:17242934 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2424  
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