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Author Amant, R. St.; Horton, T.E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Revisiting the definition of animal tool use Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.  
  Volume 75 Issue 4 Pages 1199-1208  
  Keywords cognition; tool use  
  Abstract Benjamin Beck's definition of tool use has served the field of animal cognition well for over 25 years (Beck 1980, Animal Tool Behavior: the Use and Manufacture of Tools, New York, Garland STPM). This article proposes a new, more explanatory definition that accounts for tool use in terms of two complementary subcategories of behaviours: behaviours aimed at altering a target object by mechanical means and behaviours that mediate the flow of information between the tool user and the environment or other organisms in the environment. The conceptual foundation and implications of the new definition are contrasted with those of existing definitions, particularly Beck's. The new definition is informally evaluated with respect to a set of scenarios that highlights differences from Beck's definition as well as those of others in the literature.  
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  ISSN (up) 0003-3472 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5861  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Boogert, N.J.; Reader, S.M.; Hoppitt, W.; Laland, K.N. url  doi
openurl 
  Title The origin and spread of innovations in starlings Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.  
  Volume 75 Issue 4 Pages 1509-1518  
  Keywords diffusion dynamics; dominance; foraging; group; innovation; neophobia; social learning; social network; starling; Sturnus vulgaris  
  Abstract There are numerous reports of novel learned behaviour patterns in animal populations, yet the factors influencing the invention and spread of these innovations remain poorly understood. Here we investigated to what extent the pattern of spread of innovations in captive groups of starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, could be predicted by knowledge of individual and social group variables, including association patterns, social rank orders, measures of neophobia and asocial learning performance. We presented small groups of starlings with a series of novel extractive foraging tasks and recorded the latency for each bird to contact and solve each task, as well as the orders of contacting and solving. We then explored which variables best predicted the observed diffusion patterns. Object neophobia and social rank measures characterized who was the first of the group to contact the novel foraging tasks, and the subsequent spread of contacting tasks was associated with latency to feed in a novel environment. Asocial learning performance, measured in isolation, predicted who was the first solver of the novel foraging tasks in each group. Association patterns did not predict the spread of solving. Contact latency and solving duration were negatively correlated, consistent with social learning underlying the spread of solving. Our findings indicate that we can improve our understanding of the diffusion dynamics of innovations in animal groups by investigating group-dependent and individual variables in combination. We introduce novel methods for exploring predictors of the origin and spread of behavioural innovations that could be widely applied.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN (up) 0003-3472 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6036  
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Author Brooks, C.J.; Harris, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Directed movement and orientation across a large natural landscape by zebras, Equus burchelli antiquorum Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.  
  Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 277-285  
  Keywords correlated random walk; directed movement; Equus burchelli antiquorum; Gps; movement path; orientation; spatial memory; spatial scale; zebra  
  Abstract We investigated how plains zebras moved across a large natural landscape by analysing the movement paths of nine zebra mares foraging out from spatially confined waterholes during the dry season in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana. Since it was essential to investigate directed movement over a range of spatial scales to determine the correct movement behaviour and strategy, we used Nams's scaling test for oriented movement. Zebras followed directed movement paths in the lower to medium spatial scales (10 m–3.7 km) and above their visual, and possibly olfactory, range. The spatial scale of directed movement suggests that zebras had a well-defined spatial awareness and cognitive ability. Seven zebras used directed movement paths, but the remaining two followed paths not significantly different to a correlated random walk (CRW). At large spatial scales (>3 km) no distinct movement pattern could be identified and paths could not be distinguished from a CRW. Foraging strategy affected the extent of directed movement: zebras with a confined dispersion of grazing patches around the central place directed their movements over a longer distance. Zebras may extend the distance at which they can direct their movement after improving their knowledge of the local environment.  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0003-3472 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6148  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ostner, J.; Heistermann, M.; Schülke, O. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Dominance, aggression and physiological stress in wild male Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Hormones and Behavior Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 54 Issue 5 Pages 613-619  
  Keywords Social stress; Dominance; Aggression; Fecal glucocorticoid excretion; Male bonds; Assamese macaques  
  Abstract In group-living animals relative rank positions are often associated with differences in glucocorticoid output. During phases of social stability, when dominance positions are clear and unchallenged, subordinates often face higher costs in terms of social stress than dominant individuals. In this study we test this prediction and examine additional potential correlates of stress, such as reproductive season, age and amount of aggression received in wild, seasonally breeding Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis). During a mating and a non-mating season we collected 394 h of focal observational data and 440 fecal samples of six adult and six large subadult males living in a multimale-multifemale group in their natural habitat in northeastern Thailand. The mating season was characterized by a general increase in aggressive behavior and glucocorticoid excretion across all males compared to the non-mating season. Among adult males, mating season glucocorticoid levels were significantly negatively related with dominance rank and positively with the amount of aggression received. Both relationships were non-significant among large subadult males. Thus, our results suggest that in adult Assamese macaques a high dominance position is not associated with high costs. Low costs of dominance might be induced by strong social bonds among top-ranking males, which exchange frequent affiliative interactions and serve as allies in coalitionary aggression against potentially rank-challenging subordinate males.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0018-506x ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4694  
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Author Milinski, M.; Rockenbach, B. doi  openurl
  Title Human behaviour: Punisher pays Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 452 Issue 7185 Pages 297-298  
  Keywords  
  Abstract The tendency of humans to punish perceived free-loaders, even at a cost to themselves, is an evolutionary puzzle: punishers perish, and those who benefit the most are those who have never punished at all.

Humans are champions of cooperation. Reciprocity – the idea that, if I help you this time, you'll help me next time1 – is a secret of our success.
 
  Address  
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  Publisher Nature Publishing Group Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0028-0836 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes 10.1038/452297a Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4405  
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Author Dreber, A.; Rand, D.G.; Fudenberg, D.; Nowak, M.A. doi  openurl
  Title Winners don/'t punish Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 452 Issue 7185 Pages 348-351  
  Keywords  
  Abstract A key aspect of human behaviour is cooperation1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. We tend to help others even if costs are involved. We are more likely to help when the costs are small and the benefits for the other person significant. Cooperation leads to a tension between what is best for the individual and what is best for the group. A group does better if everyone cooperates, but each individual is tempted to defect. Recently there has been much interest in exploring the effect of costly punishment on human cooperation8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. Costly punishment means paying a cost for another individual to incur a cost. It has been suggested that costly punishment promotes cooperation even in non-repeated games and without any possibility of reputation effects10. But most of our interactions are repeated and reputation is always at stake. Thus, if costly punishment is important in promoting cooperation, it must do so in a repeated setting. We have performed experiments in which, in each round of a repeated game, people choose between cooperation, defection and costly punishment. In control experiments, people could only cooperate or defect. Here we show that the option of costly punishment increases the amount of cooperation but not the average payoff of the group. Furthermore, there is a strong negative correlation between total payoff and use of costly punishment. Those people who gain the highest total payoff tend not to use costly punishment: winners don't punish. This suggests that costly punishment behaviour is maladaptive in cooperation games and might have evolved for other reasons.  
  Address  
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  Publisher Nature Publishing Group Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
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  ISSN (up) 0028-0836 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes 10.1038/nature06723 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4406  
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Author Behrens, T.E.J.; Hunt, L.T.; Woolrich, M.W.; Rushworth, M.F.S. doi  openurl
  Title Associative learning of social value Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 456 Issue 7219 Pages 245-249  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Our decisions are guided by information learnt from our environment. This information may come via personal experiences of reward, but also from the behaviour of social partners1, 2. Social learning is widely held to be distinct from other forms of learning in its mechanism and neural implementation; it is often assumed to compete with simpler mechanisms, such as reward-based associative learning, to drive behaviour3. Recently, neural signals have been observed during social exchange reminiscent of signals seen in studies of associative learning4. Here we demonstrate that social information may be acquired using the same associative processes assumed to underlie reward-based learning. We find that key computational variables for learning in the social and reward domains are processed in a similar fashion, but in parallel neural processing streams. Two neighbouring divisions of the anterior cingulate cortex were central to learning about social and reward-based information, and for determining the extent to which each source of information guides behaviour. When making a decision, however, the information learnt using these parallel streams was combined within ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that human social valuation can be realized by means of the same associative processes previously established for learning other, simpler, features of the environment.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0028-0836 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes 10.1038/nature07538 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4681  
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Author Prather, J.F.; Peters, S.; Nowicki, S.; Mooney, R. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Precise auditory-vocal mirroring in neurons for learned vocal communication Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Nature Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 451 Issue 7176 Pages 305-310  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Brain mechanisms for communication must establish a correspondence between sensory and motor codes used to represent

the signal. One idea is that this correspondence is established at the level of single neurons that are active when the

individual performs a particular gesture or observes a similar gesture performed by another individual. Although neurons

that display a precise auditory–vocal correspondence could facilitate vocal communication, they have yet to be identified.

Here we report that a certain class of neurons in the swamp sparrow forebrain displays a precise auditory–vocal

correspondence. We show that these neurons respond in a temporally precise fashion to auditory presentation of certain

note sequences in this songbird’s repertoire and to similar note sequences in other birds’ songs. These neurons display

nearly identical patterns of activity when the bird sings the same sequence, and disrupting auditory feedback does not alter

this singing-related activity, indicating it is motor in nature. Furthermore, these neurons innervate striatal structures

important for song learning, raising the possibility that singing-related activity in these cells is compared to auditory

feedback to guide vocal learning.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Nature Publishing Group Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0028-0836 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes 10.1038/nature06492 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5062  
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Author De Boyer Des Roches, A.; Richard-Yris, M.-A.; Henry, S.; Ezzaouia, M.; Hausberger, M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Laterality and emotions: visual laterality in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) differs with objects' emotional value Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Physiology & Behavior Abbreviated Journal Physiol. Behav.  
  Volume 94 Issue 3 Pages 487-490  
  Keywords Animals; Animals, Newborn; Behavior, Animal/physiology; Dominance, Ocular/*physiology; *Emotions; Exploratory Behavior/physiology; Female; Horses/*physiology; Olfactory Pathways/physiology; Pattern Recognition, Visual/*physiology; Photic Stimulation; Pregnancy; Statistics, Nonparametric; Visual Fields/physiology  
  Abstract Lateralization of emotions has received great attention in the last decades, both in humans and animals, but little interest has been given to side bias in perceptual processing. Here, we investigated the influence of the emotional valence of stimuli on visual and olfactory explorations by horses, a large mammalian species with two large monocular visual fields and almost complete decussation of optic fibres. We confronted 38 Arab mares to three objects with either a positive, negative or neutral emotional valence (novel object). The results revealed a gradient of exploration of the 3 objects according to their emotional value and a clear asymmetry in visual exploration. When exploring the novel object, mares used preferentially their right eyes, while they showed a slight tendency to use their left eyes for the negative object. No asymmetry was evidenced for the object with the positive valence. A trend for an asymmetry in olfactory investigation was also observed. Our data confirm the role of the left hemisphere in assessing novelty in horses like in many vertebrate species and the possible role of the right hemisphere in processing negative emotional responses. Our findings also suggest the importance of both hemispheres in the processing positive emotions. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate clearly that the emotional valence of a stimulus induces a specific visual lateralization pattern.  
  Address UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie-Evolution-Ecologie, Universite de Rennes 1, Avenue du General Leclerc, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35042 Rennes Cedex, France. a.de-boyer@wanadoo.fr  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0031-9384 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:18455205 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4762  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Slingerland, L.I.; Robben, J.H.; Schaafsma, I.; Kooistra, H.S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Response of cats to familiar and unfamiliar human contact using continuous direct arterial blood pressure measurement Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Research in Veterinary Science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 85 Issue 3 Pages 575-582  
  Keywords Behaviour; Activity; Technique; White-coat effect; Diurnal rhythm; Invasive  
  Abstract Continuous direct measurement of feline arterial blood pressure (ABP) was carried out via a modified method with percutaneous, ultrasound guided catheterization of the common carotid artery. In 21 healthy, conscious cats the ABP was measured during rest, alertness and activity. Furthermore, the ABP response to being petted by familiar and unfamiliar persons was assessed. Linear mixed modelling revealed that the mean blood pressure (MBP) in resting cats (114.6 mmHg) was lower (P < 0.001) than in alert cats (122.7 mmHg), which was lower (P < 0.001) than that of active cats (136.8 mmHg). The MBP during petting by a familiar person (144.7 mmHg) tended to be higher (P = 0.065) than that during petting by an unfamiliar person (139.4 mmHg). The MBP of active cats was lower (P = 0.003) than MBP of cats petted by a familiar person, but not different from MBP of cats petted by an unfamiliar person. The MBP returned to resting values between 16 and 20 min after the familiar person had left, whereas resting values were reached between 11 and 15 min after the unfamiliar person had left. The complications of the described method were limited considering the potential risks of continuous direct ABP measurement. In conclusion, the described technique enables accurate measurement of feline ABP, which is influenced by the cat's activity level and the familiarity of persons.  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0034-5288 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4982  
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