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Hohlbaum K, Andresen N, Mieske P, Kahnau P, Lang B, Diederich K, Palme R, Mundhenk L, Sprekeler H, Hellwich O, Thöne-Reineke C, Lewejohann L. Lockbox enrichment facilitates manipulative and cognitive activities for mice. OPEN RESEARCH EUROPE 2024; 4:108. [PMID: 39257918 PMCID: PMC11384198 DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.17624.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
Background Due to the lack of complexity and variety of stimuli, conventional housing conditions of laboratory mice do not allow these animals to fully express their behavioral repertoire, including manipulative and cognitive activities. Therefore, we designed mechanical puzzles, so-called lockboxes, for mice that can be provided in their home cages. We investigated the impact of the lockbox enrichment on their phenotype and affective state when compared to conventional housing (CH) and super-environmental enrichment (SEE). Methods Young adult female C57BL/6JCrl mice were examined before and after 2-month exposure to the different types of enrichment in a phenotyping test battery, including tests for trait and state anxiety-related behavior, calorimetric measurements, body weight measurements, the analysis of stress hormone metabolite concentrations, and sequential problem-solving abilities with a novel lockbox. At the end of the study, adrenal gland weights were determined and pathohistological evaluation was performed. For all continuous variables, the relative variability was calculated. Results While the different types of enrichment affected trait anxiety-related behavior, neither state anxiety-related behavior nor physiological variables (i.e., bodyweight, resting metabolic rate, stress hormone metabolite concentrations, adrenal gland weights) were influenced. LE improved sequential problem-solving (i.e., solving novel lockboxes) when compared to SEE. Regardless of the housing condition, the relative variability increased in most variables over time, although the coefficient of variation decreased for some variables, especially in animals with access to LE. There was no evidence of toxicopathological effects associated with the material from which the lockboxes were made. Conclusions All lockboxes are available as open-source tool. LE revealed beneficial effects on the affective state of laboratory mice and their performance in solving novel lockboxes. Neither relevant phenotype of the mice nor reproducibility of the data were compromised by LE, similar to SEE. The lockboxes may also be used as novel approach for assessing cognition in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Hohlbaum
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, 12277, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Niek Andresen
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technische Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Paul Mieske
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, 12277, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
| | - Pia Kahnau
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, 12277, Germany
| | - Benjamin Lang
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, 12277, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, 1210, Austria
| | - Lars Mundhenk
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
| | - Henning Sprekeler
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technische Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Olaf Hellwich
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technische Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, 12277, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, 10587, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
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Suwandschieff E, Huber L, Bugnyar T, Schwing R. Kea, bird of versatility. Kea parrots ( Nestor notabilis) show high behavioural flexibility in solving a demonstrated sequence task. JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY 2023; 165:49-55. [PMID: 38225935 PMCID: PMC10787887 DOI: 10.1007/s10336-023-02127-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Social learning is an important aspect of dealing with the complexity of life. The transmission of information via the observation of other individuals is a cost-effective way of acquiring information. It is widespread within the animal kingdom but may differ strongly in the social learning mechanisms applied by the divergent species. Here we tested eighteen Kea (Nestor notabilis) parrots on their propensity to socially learn, and imitate, a demonstrated sequence of steps necessary to open an apparatus containing food. The demonstration by a conspecific led to more successful openings by observer birds, than control birds without a demonstration. However, all successful individuals showed great variation in their response topography and abandoned faithfully copying the task in favour of exploration. While the results provide little evidence for motor imitation they do provide further evidence for kea's propensity towards exploration and rapidly shifting solving strategies, indicative of behavioural flexibility. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10336-023-02127-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Suwandschieff
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Lang B, Kahnau P, Hohlbaum K, Mieske P, Andresen NP, Boon MN, Thöne-Reineke C, Lewejohann L, Diederich K. Challenges and advanced concepts for the assessment of learning and memory function in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1230082. [PMID: 37809039 PMCID: PMC10551171 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1230082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of memories are still an active area of research and discussion. Manifold models have been proposed and refined over the years, with most assuming a dichotomy between memory processes involving non-conscious and conscious mechanisms. Despite our incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms, tests of memory and learning count among the most performed behavioral experiments. Here, we will discuss available protocols for testing learning and memory using the example of the most prevalent animal species in research, the laboratory mouse. A wide range of protocols has been developed in mice to test, e.g., object recognition, spatial learning, procedural memory, sequential problem solving, operant- and fear conditioning, and social recognition. Those assays are carried out with individual subjects in apparatuses such as arenas and mazes, which allow for a high degree of standardization across laboratories and straightforward data interpretation but are not without caveats and limitations. In animal research, there is growing concern about the translatability of study results and animal welfare, leading to novel approaches beyond established protocols. Here, we present some of the more recent developments and more advanced concepts in learning and memory testing, such as multi-step sequential lockboxes, assays involving groups of animals, as well as home cage-based assays supported by automated tracking solutions; and weight their potential and limitations against those of established paradigms. Shifting the focus of learning tests from the classical experimental chamber to settings which are more natural for rodents comes with a new set of challenges for behavioral researchers, but also offers the opportunity to understand memory formation and retrieval in a more conclusive way than has been attainable with conventional test protocols. We predict and embrace an increase in studies relying on methods involving a higher degree of automatization, more naturalistic- and home cage-based experimental setting as well as more integrated learning tasks in the future. We are confident these trends are suited to alleviate the burden on animal subjects and improve study designs in memory research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Lang
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pia Kahnau
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Hohlbaum
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Mieske
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Niek P. Andresen
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus N. Boon
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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Elisabeth S, Amelia W, Remco F, Thomas B, Ludwig H, Raoul S. Two-action task, testing imitative social learning in kea (Nestor notabilis). Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01788-9. [PMID: 37261570 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01788-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Social learning is an adaptive way of dealing with the complexity of life as it reduces the risk of trial-and-error learning. Depending on the type of information acquired, and associations formed, several mechanisms within the larger taxonomy of social learning can be distinguished. Imitation is one such process within this larger taxonomy, it is considered cognitively demanding and is associated with high-fidelity response matching. The present study reproduced a 2002 study conducted by Heyes and Saggerson, which successfully illustrated motor imitation in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). In our study, eighteen kea (Nestor notabilis) that observed a trained demonstrator remove a stopper from a test box (1) took less time from hopping on the box to feeding (response duration) in session one and (2) were faster in making a vertical removal response on the stopper once they hopped on the box (removal latency) in session one than non-observing control group individuals. In contrast to the budgerigars (Heyes and Saggerson, Ani Behav. 64:851-859, 2002) the present study could not find evidence of motor imitation in kea. The results do illustrate, however, that there were strong social effects on exploration rates indicating motivational and attentional shifts. Furthermore, the results may suggest a propensity toward emulation in contrast to motor imitation or alternatively selectivity in the application of imitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suwandschieff Elisabeth
- Haidlhof research station, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Wein Amelia
- Haidlhof research station, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Folkertsma Remco
- Haidlhof research station, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Platform Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bugnyar Thomas
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Huber Ludwig
- Haidlhof research station, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Schwing Raoul
- Haidlhof research station, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Bastos APM, Nelson XJ, Taylor AH. From the lab to the wild: how can captive studies aid the conservation of kea (Nestor notabilis)? Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Krueger K, Esch L, Byrne R. Need or opportunity? A study of innovations in equids. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257730. [PMID: 34570831 PMCID: PMC8476013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Debate persists over whether animals develop innovative solutions primarily in response to needs or conversely whether they innovate more when basic needs are covered and opportunity to develop novel behaviour is offered. We sourced 746 cases of "unusual" behaviour in equids by contacting equid owners and caretakers directly and via a website (https://innovative-behaviour.org), and by searching the internet platforms YouTube and Facebook for videos. The study investigated whether differences in need or opportunity for innovation were reflected in the numbers of different types of innovations and in the frequencies of repeating a once-innovative behaviour (i) with respect to the equids' sex, age, and breed type, (ii) across behavioural categories, and whether (iii) they were affected by the equids' management (single vs group housing, access to roughage feed, access to pasture, and social contact). We found that the numbers of different types of innovation and the frequency of displaying specific innovations were not affected by individual characteristics (sex, age, breed or equid species). Few types of innovation in escape and foraging contexts were observed, whilst the comfort, play, and social contexts elicited the greatest variety of innovations. We also found higher numbers of different types of innovations in horses kept in groups rather than in individual housing, and with unlimited rather than with restricted access to pasture and roughage. Equids in permanent social contact performed high rates of once-innovative behaviour. We suggest that equids produce goal-directed innovations and repeat the behaviour at high frequency in response to urgent needs for food and free movement or when kept in conditions with social conflict. However, equids devise the greatest variety of innovations when opportunity to play and to develop comfort behaviour arises and when kept in good conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstanze Krueger
- Department Equine Economics, Faculty Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Nürtingen, Germany
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Laureen Esch
- Department Equine Economics, Faculty Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Nürtingen, Germany
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Richard Byrne
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Kea (Nestor notabilis) show flexibility and individuality in within-session reversal learning tasks. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:1339-1351. [PMID: 34110523 PMCID: PMC8492579 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01524-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The midsession reversal paradigm confronts an animal with a two-choice discrimination task where the reward contingencies are reversed at the midpoint of the session. Species react to the reversal with either win-stay/lose-shift, using local information of reinforcement, or reversal estimation, using global information, e.g. time, to estimate the point of reversal. Besides pigeons, only mammalian species were tested in this paradigm so far and analyses were conducted on pooled data, not considering possible individually different responses. We tested twelve kea parrots with a 40-trial midsession reversal test and additional shifted reversal tests with a variable point of reversal. Birds were tested in two groups on a touchscreen, with the discrimination task having either only visual or additional spatial information. We used Generalized Linear Mixed Models to control for individual differences when analysing the data. Our results demonstrate that kea can use win-stay/lose-shift independently of local information. The predictors group, session, and trial number as well as their interactions had a significant influence on the response. Furthermore, we discovered notable individual differences not only between birds but also between sessions of individual birds, including the ability to quite accurately estimate the reversal position in alternation to win-stay/lose-shift. Our findings of the kea’s quick and flexible responses contribute to the knowledge of diversity in avian cognitive abilities and emphasize the need to consider individuality as well as the limitation of pooling the data when analysing midsession reversal data.
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Abstract
Innovation is the ability to solve novel problems or find novel solutions to familiar problems, and it is known to affect fitness in both human and non-human animals. In primates, innovation has been mostly studied in captivity, although differences in living conditions may affect individuals’ ability to innovate. Here, we tested innovation in a wild group of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). In four different conditions, we presented the group with several identical foraging boxes containing food. To understand which individual characteristics and behavioural strategies best predicted innovation rate, we measured the identity of the individuals manipulating the boxes and retrieving the food, and their behaviour during the task. Our results showed that success in the novel task was mainly affected by the experimental contingencies and the behavioural strategies used during the task. Individuals were more successful in the 1-step conditions, if they participated in more trials, showed little latency to approach the boxes and mainly manipulated functional parts of the box. In contrast, we found no effect of inhibition, social facilitation and individual characteristics like sex, age, rank, centrality, neophobia and reaction to humans, on the individuals’ ability to innovate.
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Esch L, Wöhr C, Erhard M, Krüger K. Horses' ( Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E265. [PMID: 31121937 PMCID: PMC6562608 DOI: 10.3390/ani9050265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Domesticated horses are constantly confronted with novel tasks. A recent study on anecdotal data indicates that some are innovative in dealing with such tasks. However, innovative behavior in horses has not previously been investigated under experimental conditions. In this study, we investigated whether 16 horses found an innovative solution when confronted with a novel feeder. Moreover, we investigated whether innovative behavior in horses may be affected by individual aspects such as: age, sex, size, motor and sensory laterality, fecal stress hormone concentrations (GCMs), and task-related behavior. Our study revealed evidence for 25% of the horses being capable of innovative problem solving for operating a novel feeder. Innovative horses of the present study were active, tenacious, and may be considered to have a higher inhibitory control, which was revealed by their task related behavior. Furthermore, they appeared to be emotional, reflected by high baseline GCM concentrations and a left sensory and motor laterality. These findings may contribute to the understanding of horses' cognitive capacities to deal with their environment and calls for enriched environments in sports and leisure horse management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laureen Esch
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Veterinaerstr 13/R, 80539 Munich, Germany.
- Department Equine Economics, Economics and Management, Faculty Agriculture, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nuertingen, Germany.
| | - Caroline Wöhr
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Veterinaerstr 13/R, 80539 Munich, Germany.
| | - Michael Erhard
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Veterinaerstr 13/R, 80539 Munich, Germany.
| | - Konstanze Krüger
- Department Equine Economics, Economics and Management, Faculty Agriculture, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nuertingen, Germany.
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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Abstract
The extent to which nonhuman animals can learn actual human language is a controversial question, but many nonhuman species have acquired elements of a two-way communication system that is, and was, sophisticated enough to enable its use in evaluating cognitive capacities. This article is a personal view of the history of these animal language studies.
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Medina-García A, Jawor JM, Wright TF. Cognition, personality, and stress in budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus. Behav Ecol 2017; 28:1504-1516. [PMID: 29622930 PMCID: PMC5872908 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To study the fitness effects of individual variation in cognitive traits, it is paramount to understand whether traits such as personality and physiological stress influence cognitive performance. We first tested whether budgerigars showed both consistent personalities and cognitive performance across time and tasks. We tested object and food neophobia, and exploratory behavior. We measured cognitive performance in habituation, ability to solve foraging problems, spatial memory, and seed discrimination tasks. Budgerigars showed consistency in their neophobic tendencies and these tendencies were associated with their exploratory behavior. Birds were also consistent in how they performed in most of the cognitive tasks (temporal consistency), but were not consistent in their performance across tasks (context consistency). Neither corticosterone levels (baseline and stress-induced) showed a significant relationship with either cognitive or personality measures. Neophobic and exploratory tendencies determined the willingness of birds to engage only in the seed discrimination task. Such tendencies also had a significant effect on problem-solving ability. Our results suggest that consistent individual differences in cognitive performance along with consistent differences in personality could determine response to environmental change and therefore have important fitness consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Medina-García
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces MSC 3AF, 1200 Horseshoe Drive, NM 88003, USA
| | - Jodie M Jawor
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces MSC 3AF, 1200 Horseshoe Drive, NM 88003, USA
| | - Timothy F Wright
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces MSC 3AF, 1200 Horseshoe Drive, NM 88003, USA
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12
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Psittacine cognition: Individual differences and sources of variation. Behav Processes 2017; 134:103-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 11/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Rodríguez-López R. Environmental enrichment for parrot species: Are we squawking up the wrong tree? Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Ravignani A, Westphal-Fitch G, Aust U, Schlumpp MM, Fitch WT. More than one way to see it: Individual heuristics in avian visual computation. Cognition 2015; 143:13-24. [PMID: 26113444 PMCID: PMC4710635 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Comparative pattern learning experiments investigate how different species find regularities in sensory input, providing insights into cognitive processing in humans and other animals. Past research has focused either on one species' ability to process pattern classes or different species' performance in recognizing the same pattern, with little attention to individual and species-specific heuristics and decision strategies. We trained and tested two bird species, pigeons (Columba livia) and kea (Nestor notabilis, a parrot species), on visual patterns using touch-screen technology. Patterns were composed of several abstract elements and had varying degrees of structural complexity. We developed a model selection paradigm, based on regular expressions, that allowed us to reconstruct the specific decision strategies and cognitive heuristics adopted by a given individual in our task. Individual birds showed considerable differences in the number, type and heterogeneity of heuristic strategies adopted. Birds' choices also exhibited consistent species-level differences. Kea adopted effective heuristic strategies, based on matching learned bigrams to stimulus edges. Individual pigeons, in contrast, adopted an idiosyncratic mix of strategies that included local transition probabilities and global string similarity. Although performance was above chance and quite high for kea, no individual of either species provided clear evidence of learning exactly the rule used to generate the training stimuli. Our results show that similar behavioral outcomes can be achieved using dramatically different strategies and highlight the dangers of combining multiple individuals in a group analysis. These findings, and our general approach, have implications for the design of future pattern learning experiments, and the interpretation of comparative cognition research more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Language Evolution and Computation Research Unit, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9AD Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Gesche Westphal-Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Aust
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin M Schlumpp
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna/University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna/Messerli Research Institute, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna/University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna/Messerli Research Institute, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria.
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Brunon A, Bovet D, Bourgeois A, Pouydebat E. Motivation and manipulation capacities of the blue and yellow macaw and the tufted capuchin: A comparative approach. Behav Processes 2014; 107:1-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2013] [Revised: 06/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Tecwyn EC, Thorpe SK, Chappell J. Development of planning in 4- to 10-year-old children: Reducing inhibitory demands does not improve performance. J Exp Child Psychol 2014; 125:85-101. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Revised: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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A novel test of planning ability: Great apes can plan step-by-step but not in advance of action. Behav Processes 2013; 100:174-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Revised: 08/03/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Auersperg AMI, Kacelnik A, von Bayern AMP. Explorative learning and functional inferences on a five-step means-means-end problem in Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatuagoffini). PLoS One 2013; 8:e68979. [PMID: 23844247 PMCID: PMC3700958 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate cognitive operations underlying sequential problem solving, we confronted ten Goffin's cockatoos with a baited box locked by five different inter-locking devices. Subjects were either naïve or had watched a conspecific demonstration, and either faced all devices at once or incrementally. One naïve subject solved the problem without demonstration and with all locks present within the first five sessions (each consisting of one trial of up to 20 minutes), while five others did so after social demonstrations or incremental experience. Performance was aided by species-specific traits including neophilia, a haptic modality and persistence. Most birds showed a ratchet-like progress, rarely failing to solve a stage once they had done it once. In most transfer tests subjects reacted flexibly and sensitively to alterations of the locks' sequencing and functionality, as expected from the presence of predictive inferences about mechanical interactions between the locks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M. I. Auersperg
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- * E-mail: (AA); (AK)
| | - Alex Kacelnik
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AA); (AK)
| | - Auguste M. P. von Bayern
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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Miyata H, Fujita K. Further tests of pigeons' (Columba livia) planning behavior using a computerized plus-shaped maze task. Percept Mot Skills 2012; 115:27-42. [PMID: 23033743 DOI: 10.2466/23.04.22.pms.115.4.27-42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Miyata and Fujita in 2008 reported that pigeons, trained to move a target square to a goal square by pecking, plan one step ahead while performing on a plus-shaped maze, that is, the birds frequently made errors to move the target toward the previous goal direction after the goal jumped to another arm. In the present study, pigeons' planning using this maze was further examined. In Experiment 1, when goals appeared at all three of the arms during solution, the birds did not choose the old goal at above chance. Reaction time data suggested that the birds decided which goal to choose after crossing the center point. In Experiment 2, after the goal jumped to another arm following a preview phase, some birds frequently moved in the direction of the old goal. These results suggest that pigeons may plan one step ahead but might have updated plans for each movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromitsu Miyata
- Department of Psychology, Kyoto University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
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20
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Miyata H, Fujita K. Acquisition of a same-different discrimination task by pigeons (Columba livia). Psychol Rep 2012; 110:251-62. [PMID: 22489391 DOI: 10.2466/22.23.pr0.110.1.251-262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Four homing pigeons were trained to discriminate two figures simultaneously presented on an LCD screen. The figure was either a rectangle (A) or a square (B), and four combinations of the two figures, AA, AB, BA, BB, appeared in a pseudo-randomized order. The pigeons' task was to peck one of these figures based upon whether the two figures were identical or not. One pigeon successfully learned this discrimination, with proportions of correct responses above 90% in two consecutive sessions. Of the other birds, two performed above chance level but had difficulty meeting a learning criterion of above 80% in two consecutive sessions. All birds achieved this criterion when the combinations of figures presented were reduced to two. Results suggested that learning the present same-different discrimination is within the capacity of pigeons to a certain extent, although there exists considerable individual variation in the pigeons' skills to acquire complex discrimination.
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How to build an information gathering and processing system: Lessons from naturally and artificially intelligent systems. Behav Processes 2012; 89:179-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2011.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2011] [Revised: 10/04/2011] [Accepted: 10/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Tecwyn EC, Thorpe SKS, Chappell J. What cognitive strategies do orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) use to solve a trial-unique puzzle-tube task incorporating multiple obstacles? Anim Cogn 2011; 15:121-33. [PMID: 21761145 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-011-0438-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2011] [Revised: 06/23/2011] [Accepted: 06/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Apparently sophisticated behaviour during problem-solving is often the product of simple underlying mechanisms, such as associative learning or the use of procedural rules. These and other more parsimonious explanations need to be eliminated before higher-level cognitive processes such as causal reasoning or planning can be inferred. We presented three Bornean orangutans with 64 trial-unique configurations of a puzzle-tube to investigate whether they were able to consider multiple obstacles in two alternative paths, and subsequently choose the correct direction in which to move a reward in order to retrieve it. We were particularly interested in how subjects attempted to solve the task, namely which behavioural strategies they could have been using, as this is how we may begin to elucidate the cognitive mechanisms underpinning their choices. To explore this, we simulated performance outcomes across the 64 trials for various procedural rules and rule combinations that subjects may have been using based on the configuration of different obstacles. Two of the three subjects solved the task, suggesting that they were able to consider at least some of the obstacles in the puzzle-tube before executing action to retrieve the reward. This is impressive compared with the past performances of great apes on similar, arguably less complex tasks. Successful subjects may have been using a heuristic rule combination based on what they deemed to be the most relevant cue (the configuration of the puzzle-tube ends), which may be a cognitively economical strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Tecwyn
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
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Auersperg AMI, von Bayern AMP, Gajdon GK, Huber L, Kacelnik A. Flexibility in problem solving and tool use of kea and New Caledonian crows in a multi access box paradigm. PLoS One 2011; 6:e20231. [PMID: 21687666 PMCID: PMC3110758 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Accepted: 04/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Parrots and corvids show outstanding innovative and flexible behaviour. In particular, kea and New Caledonian crows are often singled out as being exceptionally sophisticated in physical cognition, so that comparing them in this respect is particularly interesting. However, comparing cognitive mechanisms among species requires consideration of non-cognitive behavioural propensities and morphological characteristics evolved from different ancestry and adapted to fit different ecological niches. We used a novel experimental approach based on a Multi-Access-Box (MAB). Food could be extracted by four different techniques, two of them involving tools. Initially all four options were available to the subjects. Once they reached criterion for mastering one option, this task was blocked, until the subjects became proficient in another solution. The exploratory behaviour differed considerably. Only one (of six) kea and one (of five) NCC mastered all four options, including a first report of innovative stick tool use in kea. The crows were more efficient in using the stick tool, the kea the ball tool. The kea were haptically more explorative than the NCC, discovered two or three solutions within the first ten trials (against a mean of 0.75 discoveries by the crows) and switched more quickly to new solutions when the previous one was blocked. Differences in exploration technique, neophobia and object manipulation are likely to explain differential performance across the set of tasks. Our study further underlines the need to use a diversity of tasks when comparing cognitive traits between members of different species. Extension of a similar method to other taxa could help developing a comparative cognition research program.
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Miyata H, Watanabe S, Minagawa-Kawai Y. Two successive neurocognitive processes captured by near-infrared spectroscopy: prefrontal activation during a computerized plus-shaped maze task. Brain Res 2010; 1374:90-9. [PMID: 21172310 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.12.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2010] [Revised: 12/06/2010] [Accepted: 12/11/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The present study using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) examined prefrontal activation associated with maze-solving performance in adult humans. The participants were required to solve a plus-shaped maze, comparable to the one used for pigeons and human children to behaviorally assess planning processes, by moving a target square to a goal square presented on a touch-sensitive screen. The participants made incorrect responses toward a previous goal immediately after the goal jumped to the end of another arm, in parallel with but less frequently than previous participants, with shorter reaction times than when they correctly adjusted their responses. In these incorrect trials, relatively larger hemodynamic changes having two peaks were observed, especially in channels near the right inferior frontal cortex (IFC), suggesting use of additional cognitive resources for adjustment of responses after making errors. In addition to showing human adults' better behavioral inhibition than previous participants, the present NIRS data suggest a difference in prefrontal activation patterns according to whether inhibition of the forward plan was working well or not. The results also testify to the effective NIRS recording, while the participants were moving a computer-generated stimulus by actually making finger touches to the monitor.
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