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Author Kaminski, J.; Riedel, J.; Call, J.; Tomasello, M.
Title Domestic goats, Capra hircus, follow gaze direction and use social cues in an object choice task Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 69 Issue 1 Pages 11-18
Keywords
Abstract Gaze following is a basic social cognitive skill with many potential benefits for animals that live in social groups. At least five primate species are known to follow the gaze of conspecifics, but there have been no studies on gaze following in other mammals. We investigated whether domestic goats can use the gaze direction of a conspecific as a cue to find food. They were able to do this, at a level comparable to that of primates. In a second experiment, we tested goats' ability to use gaze and other communicative cues given by a human in a so-called object choice situation. An experimenter hid food out of sight of the subject under one of two cups. After baiting the cup the experimenter indicated the location of the food to the subject by using different cues. The goats used communicative cues (touching and pointing) but not gaze by itself. Since domestic dogs are very skilled in this task, whereas wolves are not, one hypothesis is that the use of communicative cues in the object choice task is a side-effect of domestication.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 542
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Author Nathan J. Emery
Title The Evolution of Social Cognition Type Book Chapter
Year 2005 Publication The Cognitive Neuroscience of Social BehaviourGarten Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords
Abstract Although this bookis focusedon the cognitive neuroscience ofhuman social behaviour, an

understandingofsocial cognition in non-human animals is critical for unravellingthe neural basis of

social cognition in humans as well as the selective pressures that have shapedthe evolution ofcomplex

social cognition. Thanks to methodological limitations, we know little about the relationships between

certain biochemical andelectrophysiological properties ofthe human brain andhow theycompute the

behaviour andmental states ofother individuals. Traditional techniques for examiningneural function

in humans, such as event-relatedpotentials (ERP),positron emission tomography(PET),and

functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI),are constrainedbythe fact that subjects are placed

either into an immoveable scanner with a lot ofbackgroundnoise or wiredup with dozens of

electrodes that are sensitive to slight movements. The possibilityofscanningor recordingbrain waves

from two individuals that are physicallyinteractingsociallyis technicallyimpossible at present

(however, see Montague et al, 2002 for a new methodfor simultaneouslyscanningtwo individuals

interactingvia a computer).

The onlywayto understandthe neurocognitive architecture ofhuman social behaviour is to examine

similar social processes in both human andnon-human animal minds andmake comparisons at the

species level. An additional argument is that traditional human socio-cognitive tasks are dependent on

the use ofstories, cartoons andverbal cues andinstructions (Heberlein & Adolphs, this volume)which

themselves will elicit specific neural responses that have to be eliminatedfrom neural responses

specificallyrelatedto mindreading. Therefore, the development ofnon-verbal tasks wouldprovide a

breakthrough for studies in non-linguistic animals, pre-verbal human infants andhuman cognitive

neuroimaging.
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Publisher Psychology Press Place of Publication Editor
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 543
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Author Digweed, Shannon M.; Fedigan, Linda M.; Rendall, Drew
Title Variable specificity in the anti-predator vocalizations and behaviour of the white-faced capuchin, Cebus capucinus Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Behaviour
Volume 142 Issue 8 Pages 997-1021
Keywords
Abstract (Accepted: 23 June 2005)

Summary

Much research in animal communication is aimed at understanding the functional design

features of animal vocal signals. Our detailed analyses of the vocalizations and behavioural

responses elicited in white-faced capuchins by predators and other disturbances point to two

call variants that differ modestly in their acoustic structure and that are accompanied by

functionally distinct behavioural responses. The first variant is given exclusively to avian

predators and is almost invariably accompanied by the monkeys immediate descent from

the treetops where it is most vulnerable; therefore, we label this call variant the aerial

predator alarm?. The second variant, that differs only slightly but noticeably from the first,

is given to a wide range of snakes and mammals, including a range of species that represent

no predatory threat to the monkeys. This second call is also associated with more variable

responses from calling monkeys, from delayed retreat from the source of disturbance, to

active approach, inspection, and sometimes mobbing of the animal involved. We therefore

label this variant more generally as an “alerting call”. Although some other primate species

show a more diverse system of anti-predator calls, and the capuchins themselves may yet

be found to produce a greater variety of calls, a system of two call variants with varying

degrees of predator specificity and behavioural response is not uncommon among primates

and appears functionally appropriate for capuchins. The basic structure of the alerting call

allows conspecific listeners to localize the caller and the source of disturbance readily, thereby

allowing listeners to approach and assist in mobbing in cases where the disturbance warrants

it, or to avoid the area in cases where the disturbance is identified as a predatory threat.

Conversely, the aerial predator alarm is inherently less localizable and therefore conveys the
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Language English Summary Language Original Title
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 547
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Author Reluga, T.C.; Viscido, S.
Title Simulated evolution of selfish herd behavior Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Journal of Theoretical Biology Abbreviated Journal J. Theor. Biol.
Volume 234 Issue 2 Pages 213-225
Keywords Selfish herd; Behavior; Evolution; Predation risk
Abstract Single species aggregations are a commonly observed phenomenon. One potential explanation for these aggregations is provided by the selfish herd hypothesis, which states that aggregations result from individual efforts to reduce personnel predation risk at the expense of group-mates. Not all movement rules based on the selfish herd hypothesis are consistent with observed animal behavior. Previous work has shown that herd-like aggregations are not generated by movement rules limited to local interactions between nearest neighbors. Instead, rules generating realistic herds appear to require delocalized interactions. To date, it has been an open question whether or not the necessary delocalization can emerge from local interactions under natural selection. To address this question, we study an individual-based model with a single quantitative genetic trait that controls the influence of neighbors as a function of distance. The results indicate that predation-based selection can increase the influence of distant neighbors relative to near neighbors. Our results lend support for the idea that selfish herd behavior can arise from localized movement rules under natural selection.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 553
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Author Griffin, A.S.; Galef, J., Bennett G.
Title Social learning about predators: does timing matter? Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 69 Issue 3 Pages 669-678
Keywords
Abstract In Pavlovian conditioning, animals acquire a response to a previously neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS), such as a light, if that stimulus predicts a biologically important event (unconditioned stimulus, US), such as delivery of food. Learning typically occurs when the CS precedes the US (forward conditioning), and not when the CS follows the US (backward conditioning). In social learning about predators, the predator stimulus is considered to be the CS to which observers acquire avoidance responses after the stimulus has been presented in contiguity with an alarmed demonstrator, the US. We tested the prediction that social learning of response to a predator would occur even if the social alarm cues (the US) appeared before the predatory stimulus (the CS). Carib grackles, Quiscalus lugubris, responded to a familiar predator presented at close range by suppressing alarm calls. Presentation of an unfamiliar avian model (black-and-yellow pigeon) also decreased calling, and this inhibition of calling was enhanced following a training session in which the model stimulus was presented in association with grackle alarm calls. Acquired inhibition of calling was independent of the order of presentation of the model and an alarm chorus. These are the first results to indicate that social acquisition of predator avoidance is not dependent upon a particular temporal relationship between predators and social alarm cues. Evolution may have modified some properties of Pavlovian conditioning to accommodate social learning about potentially dangerous stimuli.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 572
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Author Miklosi, A.; Pongracz, P.; Lakatos, G.; Topal, J.; Csanyi, V.
Title A Comparative Study of the Use of Visual Communicative Signals in Interactions Between Dogs (Canis familiaris) and Humans and Cats (Felis catus) and Humans Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Journal of Comparative Psychology Abbreviated Journal J. Comp. Psychol.
Volume 119 Issue 2 Pages 179-186
Keywords
Abstract Dogs' (Canis familiaris) and cats' (Felis catus) interspecific communicative behavior toward humans was investigated. In Experiment 1, the ability of dogs and cats to use human pointing gestures in an object-choice task was compared using 4 types of pointing cues differing in distance between the signaled object and the end of the fingertip and in visibility duration of the given signal. Using these gestures, both dogs and cats were able to find the hidden food; there was no significant difference in their performance. In Experiment 2, the hidden food was made inaccessible to the subjects to determine whether they could indicate the place of the hidden food to a naive owner. Cats lacked some components of attention-getting behavior compared with dogs. The results suggest that individual familiarization with pointing gestures ensures high-level performance in the presence of such gestures; however, species-specific differences could cause differences in signaling toward the human.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 599
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Author Quesada, J; Kintsch, W.; Gomez, E.
Title Complex problem-solving: a field in search of a definition? Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science Abbreviated Journal Theor Issues Ergon Sci
Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 5-33
Keywords Problem solving; Dynamic decision making; Micro-worlds; Expertise
Abstract Complex problem-solving (CPS) is as an area of cognitive science that has received a good amount of attention, but theories in the field have not progressed accordingly. The reasons could be the lack of good definitions and classifications of the tasks (taxonomies). Although complexity is a term used pervasively in psychology and is operationalized in different ways, there are no psychological theories of complexity. The definition of problem-solving has been changed in the past to reflect the varied interests of the researchers and has lost its initial concreteness. These two facts together make it difficult to define CPS or make clear if CPS should reuse the theory and methods of classical problem-solving or on the contrary should build a theoretical structure starting from scratch. A taxonomy is offered of tasks using both formal features and psychological features that are theory-independent that could help compare the CPS tasks used in the literature. The adequateness is also reviewed of the most extended definitions of CPS and conclude that they are in serious need of review, since they cover tasks that are not considered problem-solving by their own authors or are not complex, but ignore others that should clearly be included.
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Publisher Taylor and Francis Ltd Place of Publication Editor
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 604
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Author Kavaliers, M.; Colwell, D.D.; Choleris, E.
Title Kinship, familiarity and social status modulate social learning about “micropredators” (biting flies) in deer mice Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Abbreviated Journal Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol.
Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 60-71
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 710
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Author Lansade, L.; Bertrand, M.; Bouissou, M.-F.
Title Effects of neonatal handling on subsequent manageability, reactivity and learning ability of foals Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 92 Issue 1-2 Pages 143-158
Keywords Horse; Neonatal handling; Manageability; Emotional reactivity; Learning-ability; Human-animal relationship
Abstract Behaviour is an important factor to be taken into account in the various uses of horses. Today horses are mainly used for sport and leisure activities. They should therefore be easy to manage, calm and not fearful. Early handling is known to improve manageability and learning ability and to reduce fearfulness in various species. It has become fashionable in the horse industry to use an early training procedure, referred to as “imprint training”, which is said to produce durable if not permanent effects. However, no studies concerning the long-term effects of such neonatal handling have been carried out in horses. The present study examines the short- and long-term effects of neonatal handling on manageability, general reactivity and learning ability of foals. Twenty-six Welsh foals were studied: 13 were handled daily for 14 days from birth and 13 were non-handled controls. The handling procedure consisted of fitting a halter, gently patting all parts of each foal's body, picking up feet and leading over 40 m. Two days, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after the end of the handling period, foals underwent behavioural tests to measure their manageability and various aspects of their reactivity. The results showed that neonatal handling has only short-term effects on manageability: 2 days after the handling period, handled animals were significantly easier to handle than controls for the four parameters measured during this test (time to fit a halter, time to pick up feet, walk ratio that is time during which foal walks under constraint/total time measured during leading and number of defensive reactions). Two parameters (time to fit a halter and walk ratio) were still lower in handled foals than in non-handled foals 3 months later and only one 6 months later (walk ratio). One year later there was no difference between groups. In addition, there was no effect of handling on reactivity at any time of testing or in any of the tests (reaction to isolation from conspecifics, presence of a human, presence of a novel object and to a surprise effect). Finally, neonatal handling did not improve the spatial or discriminative learning abilities measured at 14 months of age. To conclude, the effects of neonatal handling are only temporary.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 841
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Author McGreevy, P.D.; Rogers, L.J.
Title Motor and sensory laterality in thoroughbred horses Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 92 Issue 4 Pages 337-352
Keywords Horse; Lateralisation; Training; Olfaction; Forelimb preference
Abstract We investigated lateralisation in horses because it is likely to be important in training and athletic performance. Thoroughbred horses (n = 106) were observed every 60 s for 2 h, when they were at pasture, and the position of the forelimbs in relation to one another was recorded. There was a population bias skewed to standing with the left forelimb advanced over the right (i.e. directional lateralisation). Using the first 50 observations, the distribution of preferences was 43 significantly left, 10 significantly right with 53 being non-significant (i.e. ambidextextrous). The strength of motor bias increased with age, suggesting maturation or an influence of training. The horses were also presented with an olfactory stimulus (stallion faeces) to score the tendency to use one nostril rather than the other. A significant preference to use the right nostril first was shown in horses under 4 years of age (n = 61) but not in older horses. Of the 157 horses tested for nostril bias, 76 had been assessed for motor bias and so were used for analysis of the relationship between laterality in the two modalities. There was no significant relationship between direction of foreleg motor bias and first nostril used, total number of inhalations or laterality index of nostril use. The absence of a correlation between laterality of nostril use and motor bias indicates that lateralisation of the equine brain occurs on at least two levels of neural organisation--sensory and motor--a finding that is consistent with other examples of lateralisation in species that have been examined in more detail.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ room 3.029 Serial 1827
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