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Author Santos, L.R.; Miller, C.T.; Hauser, M.D.
Title Representing tools: how two non-human primate species distinguish between the functionally relevant and irrelevant features of a tool Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 4 Pages 269-281
Keywords (down) Animals; *Discrimination Learning; Female; Form Perception/*physiology; Habituation, Psychophysiologic/*physiology; Imitative Behavior; Macaca mulatta/*growth & development/*psychology; Male; Motor Skills; Practice (Psychology); Saguinus/*growth & development/*psychology; Species Specificity
Abstract Few studies have examined whether non-human tool-users understand the properties that are relevant for a tool's function. We tested cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) on an expectancy violation procedure designed to assess whether these species make distinctions between the functionally relevant and irrelevant features of a tool. Subjects watched an experimenter use a tool to push a grape down a ramp, and then were presented with different displays in which the features of the original tool (shape, color, orientation) were selectively varied. Results indicated that both species looked longer when a newly shaped stick acted on the grape than when a newly colored stick performed the same action, suggesting that both species perceive shape as a more salient transformation than color. In contrast, tamarins, but not rhesus, attended to changes in the tool's orientation. We propose that some non-human primates begin with a predisposition to attend to a tool's shape and, with sufficient experience, develop a more sophisticated understanding of the features that are functionally relevant to tools.
Address Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. laurie.santos@yale.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12736800 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2570
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Author Hall, C.A.; Cassaday, H.J.; Derrington, A.M.
Title The effect of stimulus height on visual discrimination in horses Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Journal of Animal Science Abbreviated Journal J. Anim Sci.
Volume 81 Issue 7 Pages 1715-1720
Keywords (down) Animals; *Discrimination Learning/physiology; Female; Horses/physiology/*psychology; Male; Orientation; *Photic Stimulation; Vision/*physiology
Abstract This study investigated the effect of stimulus height on the ability of horses to learn a simple visual discrimination task. Eight horses were trained to perform a two-choice, black/white discrimination with stimuli presented at one of two heights: ground level or at a height of 70 cm from the ground. The height at which the stimuli were presented was alternated from one session to the next. All trials within a single session were presented at the same height. The criterion for learning was four consecutive sessions of 70% correct responses. Performance was found to be better when stimuli were presented at ground level with respect to the number of trials taken to reach the criterion (P < 0.05), percentage of correct first choices (P < 0.01), and repeated errors made (P < 0.01). Thus, training horses to carry out tasks of visual discrimination could be enhanced by placing the stimuli on the ground. In addition, the results of the present study suggest that the visual appearance of ground surfaces is an important factor in both horse management and training.
Address School of Land-based Studies, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst College Campus, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England NG25 0QF. carol.hall@ntu.ac.uk
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8812 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12854807 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 835
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Author Weatherly, J.N.; Arthur, E.I.L.; Tischart, L.M.
Title Altering “motivational” variables alters induction produced by upcoming food-pellet reinforcement Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 17-26
Keywords (down) Animals; *Conditioning, Operant; Food Deprivation; Male; *Motivation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Abstract Previous research has demonstrated that rats will increase their rates of lever pressing for sucrose rewards in the first half of an experimental session when food pellets, rather than the same sucrose, continually serve as the reward in the second half of the session. This effect has been coined induction, and the present study investigated whether it could be altered by altering “motivational” variables. Experiment 1 manipulated subjects' motivation by altering, across conditions, their level of food deprivation. Predictably, the size of induction varied directly with level of deprivation. Experiments 2 and 3 manipulated subjects' motivation by feeding them food pellets and sucrose, respectively, prior to their responding in the experimental session. These pre-session feedings decreased the size of the observed induction in both experiments. The results from the present study indicate that the size of induction is correlated with subjects' motivation to respond for the available reinforcers. They are also consistent with the idea that operant processes underlie the effect. The notion that induction might encompass the concept of “anticipation” is also discussed.
Address Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, ND 58202-8380, Grand Forks, USA. jeffrey_weatherly@und.nodak.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12658532 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2584
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Author Shanahan, S.
Title Trailer loading stress in horses: behavioral and physiological effects of nonaversive training (TTEAM) Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science : JAAWS Abbreviated Journal J Appl Anim Welf Sci
Volume 6 Issue 4 Pages 263-274
Keywords (down) Animals; *Conditioning, Operant; *Escape Reaction; Female; Heart Rate; Horses/*psychology; Hydrocortisone/metabolism; Male; Saliva/metabolism; Stress/metabolism/prevention & control/*veterinary; *Transportation
Abstract Resistance in the horse to trailer loading is a common source of stress and injury to horses and their handlers. The objective of this study was to determine whether nonaversive training based on the Tellington-Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM; Tellington-Jones &Bruns, 1988) would decrease loading time and reduce stress during loading for horses with a history of reluctance to load. Ten horses described by their owners as “problem loaders” were subjected to pretraining and posttraining assessments of loading. Each assessment involved two 7-min loading attempts during which heart rate and saliva cortisol were measured. The training consisted of six 30-min sessions over a 2-week period during which the horse and owner participated in basic leading exercises with obstacles simulating aspects of trailering. Assessment showed heart rate and saliva cortisol increased significantly during loading as compared to baseline (p <.001 and p <.05, respectively). Reassessment after training showed a decrease in loading time (p <.02), reduced heart rate during loading (p <.002), and reduced saliva cortisol as compared to pretraining assessments. Seven “good loaders” also were subject to loading assessment for physiological comparison. Increases in heart rate during loading were significantly higher in the good loaders (p <.001). Nonaversive training simulating aspects of loading may effectively reduce loading time and stress during loading for horses with a history of resistance to trailer loading.
Address shanahandvm@yahoo.ca
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1088-8705 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:14965781 Approved no
Call Number Serial 1903
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Author Uller, C.; Jaeger, R.; Guidry, G.; Martin, C.
Title Salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus) go for more: rudiments of number in an amphibian Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 105-112
Keywords (down) Animals; *Cognition; Discrimination Learning; Female; Male; Mathematics; *Urodela
Abstract Techniques traditionally used in developmental research with infants have been widely used with nonhuman primates in the investigation of comparative cognitive abilities. Recently, researchers have shown that human infants and monkeys select the larger of two numerosities in a spontaneous forced-choice discrimination task. Here we adopt the same method to assess in a series of experiments spontaneous choice of the larger of two numerosities in a species of amphibian, red-backed salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus). The findings indicate that salamanders “go for more,” just like human babies and monkeys. This rudimentary capacity is a type of numerical discrimination that is spontaneously present in this amphibian.
Address Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-3772, USA. uller@louisiana.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12709845 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2575
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Author van der Willigen, R.F.; Frost, B.J.; Wagner, H.
Title How owls structure visual information Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 39-55
Keywords (down) Animals; *Cognition; Depth Perception; Discrimination Learning; Female; Male; *Strigiformes; *Visual Perception
Abstract Recent studies on perceptual organization in humans claim that the ability to represent a visual scene as a set of coherent surfaces is of central importance for visual cognition. We examined whether this surface representation hypothesis generalizes to a non-mammalian species, the barn owl ( Tyto alba). Discrimination transfer combined with random-dot stimuli provided the appropriate means for a series of two behavioural experiments with the specific aims of (1) obtaining psychophysical measurements of figure-ground segmentation in the owl, and (2) determining the nature of the information involved. In experiment 1, two owls were trained to indicate the presence or absence of a central planar surface (figure) among a larger region of random dots (ground) based on differences in texture. Without additional training, the owls could make the same discrimination when figure and ground had reversed luminance, or were camouflaged by the use of uniformly textured random-dot stereograms. In the latter case, the figure stands out in depth from the ground when positional differences of the figure in two retinal images are combined (binocular disparity). In experiment 2, two new owls were trained to distinguish three-dimensional objects from holes using random-dot kinematograms. These birds could make the same discrimination when information on surface segmentation was unexpectedly switched from relative motion to half-occlusion. In the latter case, stereograms were used that provide the impression of stratified surfaces to humans by giving unpairable image features to the eyes. The ability to use image features such as texture, binocular disparity, relative motion, and half-occlusion interchangeably to determine figure-ground relationships suggests that in owls, as in humans, the structuring of the visual scene critically depends on how indirect image information (depth order, occlusion contours) is allocated between different surfaces.
Address Institut fur Biologie II, RWTH Aachen, Kopernikusstrasse 16, 52074, Aachen, Germany. willigen@bio2.rwth-aachen.de
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12658534 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2582
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Author Stoet, G.; Snyder, L.H.
Title Task preparation in macaque monkeys ( Macaca mulatta) Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 121-130
Keywords (down) Animals; *Cognition; Conditioning, Classical; Macaca mulatta/*psychology; Male; Reaction Time; Task Performance and Analysis; Visual Perception
Abstract We investigated whether macaque monkeys possess the ability to prepare abstract tasks in advance. We trained two monkeys to use different stimulus-response (S-R) mappings. On each trial, monkeys were first informed with a visual cue which of two S-R mapping to use. Following a delay, a visual target was presented to which they would respond with a left or right button-press. We manipulated delay time between cue and target and found that performance was faster and more accurate with longer delays, suggesting that monkeys used the delay time to prepare each task in advance.
Address Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave., Box 8108, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. stoet@pcg.wustl.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12721788 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2572
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Author Vonk, J.
Title Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and orangutan ( Pongo abelii) understanding of first- and second-order relations Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 77-86
Keywords (down) Animals; *Cognition; Color Perception; Female; Gorilla gorilla/*psychology; Male; Pongo pygmaeus/*psychology; Task Performance and Analysis
Abstract Four orangutans and one gorilla matched images in a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task based on the relationship between items depicted in those images, thus demonstrating understanding of both first- and second-order relations. Subjects matched items on the basis of identity, color, or shape (first-order relations, experiment 1) or same shape, same color between items (second-order relations, experiment 2). Four of the five subjects performed above chance on the second-order relations DMTS task within the first block of five sessions. High levels of performance on this task did not result from reliance on perceptual feature matching and thus indicate the capability for abstract relational concepts in two species of great ape.
Address York University, 4700 Keele Street,Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada. jxv9592@louisiana.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12687418 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2578
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Author Sousa, C.; Okamoto, S.; Matsuzawa, T.
Title Behavioural development in a matching-to-sample task and token use by an infant chimpanzee reared by his mother Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 6 Issue 4 Pages 259-267
Keywords (down) Animals; *Cognition; *Discrimination Learning; Female; *Imitative Behavior; Male; Mothers/*psychology; Pan troglodytes/*growth & development/*psychology; *Transfer (Psychology)
Abstract We investigated the behavioural and cognitive development of a captive male infant chimpanzee, Ayumu, raised by his mother, Ai. Here we report Ayumu's achievements up to the age of 2 years and 3 months, in the context of complex computer-controlled tasks. From soon after birth, Ayumu had been present during an experiment performed by his mother. The task consisted of two phases, a matching-to-sample task in which she received token rewards, and the insertion of these tokens into a vending machine to obtain food rewards. Ayumu himself received no reward or encouragement from humans for any of the actions he exhibited during the experiment. At the age of 9 months and 3 weeks, Ayumu performed his first matching-to-sample trial. At around 1 year and 3 months, he began to perform them consistently. Also during this period, he frequently stole food rewards from his mother. At 2 years and 3 months, Ayumu succeeded for the first time in inserting a token into the vending machine. Once he had succeeded in using a token, he performed both phases of the task in sequence 20 times consecutively. The infant's behaviour was not shaped by food rewards but by a strong motivation to copy his mother's behaviour. Our observations of Ayumu thus mirror the learning processes shown by wild chimpanzees.
Address Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama Aichi 484-8506, Japan. csousa@fcsh.unl.pt
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:13680400 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2556
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Author Golland, L.C.; Evans, D.L.; McGowan, C.M.; Hodgson, D.R.; Rose, R.J.
Title The effects of overtraining on blood volumes in standardbred racehorses Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997) Abbreviated Journal Vet J
Volume 165 Issue 3 Pages 228-233
Keywords (down) Animals; *Blood Volume; Erythrocytes/*physiology; Hematocrit/veterinary; Horse Diseases/etiology/*physiopathology; Horses; Male; *Physical Conditioning, Animal; Physical Endurance
Abstract Red blood cell hypervolaemia has been used for diagnosis of overtraining in racehorses, and has been suggested as a mechanism of this cause of loss of racing performance. The effects of overload training (OLT) on the plasma, blood and red cell volumes were investigated in a prospective study in 12 Standardbred horses. Measurements of blood volumes were made after eight and 32 weeks of an exercise training study. Horses were randomly allocated to OLT and control groups (n=6) after 16 weeks of training. Training duration and intensity were increased more rapidly for the OLT group from week 16, until overtraining was diagnosed in week 32.There were no significant effects of OLT on plasma, blood or total red cell volumes between weeks eight and 32. These volumes significantly decreased with time. Maximal haematocrit after exercise was lower (P<0.05) in the OT group in week 32 (0.57+/-0.003% L/L) than in week eight (0.59+/-0.004 L/L). It was concluded that red cell hypervolaemia was not a mechanism for the decrease in capacity for exercise that occurs with overtraining.
Address Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1090-0233 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12672368 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4045
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