1
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Context-dependent alarm responses in wild vervet monkeys. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01767-0. [PMID: 36930451 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01767-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
The alarm calls of nonhuman primates are occasionally cited as functionally equivalent to lexical word meaning in human language. Recently, however, it has become increasingly unlikely that one-to-one relations between alarm call structures and predator categories are the default, mainly because many call types are produced in multiple contexts, requiring more complex notions of meaning. For example, male vervet monkeys produce the same alarm calls during encounters with terrestrial predators and neighbouring groups, suggesting that recipients require additional information to attribute meaning to the calls. We empirically tested the hypothesis that vervet monkeys take contextual information into account when responding to each other's alarm calls. In playback experiments, we exposed subjects to recordings of male alarm barks during actual intergroup encounters (predator unlikely) or when there was no intergroup encounter (predator likely). Subjects responded more strongly in the no intergroup encounter situations, typically associated with discovering a hiding predator, measured in terms of startle responses, vigilance behaviour and gazing towards the presumed caller. We discuss the significance of using contextual information for meaning attribution in nonhuman primate communication.
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2
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Spontaneous action matching in dog puppies, kittens and wolf pups. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2094. [PMID: 36797322 PMCID: PMC9935877 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28959-5] [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: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the spontaneous tendency of dog puppies, kittens and wolf pups to match their behaviour to actions demonstrated by a human, in the absence of food reward. Based on dogs' inherent sociality and domestication history, we predicted that the tendency to match human actions is more pronounced in this species than in the other two. To test this, we exposed N = 42 dog puppies, N = 39 kittens and N = 8 wolf pups to ostensive human demonstrations of an object-related action. We found that dog puppies paid more attention to the demonstration than kittens and wolf pups. Dog puppies and wolf pups matched the demonstrated actions in more trials than kittens. Dog puppies also tended to reproduce the human demonstration that differed from the action they typically preformed in the absence of demonstration. These results support that dog puppies show a tendency to attend to humans and conform their behaviour to human demonstrations in the absence of extrinsic food rewards. This spontaneous tendency is also relevant for practical applications, by providing the basis to devise puppy-training methods that rely less on food rewards, and instead exploit puppies' natural predisposition for social learning.
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3
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Sciaky L, Gunst N, Wandia IN, Leca JB. Dyadic response facilitation of object play in Balinese long-tailed macaques. Behav Processes 2022; 203:104765. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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4
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The potential of a light spot, heat area, and novel object to attract laying hens and induce piling behaviour. Animal 2022; 16:100567. [PMID: 35849910 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Piling behaviour of laying hens often results in smothering or death due to suffocation. Mechanisms leading to piling are not yet understood though various potential factors have been suggested. In this experimental study, we predicted that the presence of a light spot, a novel object (metal foil), or a heat area within animal pens would increase animal numbers around the stimulus leading to piling behaviour. We presented the cues in a 4 × 2 Latin-square design in eight identical experimental pens including each 55 Lohmann Selected Leghorn hens. The cues were presented in two test areas per pen, at two bouts per day in the morning, consecutively for 5 days, over four periods (age: 20, 22, 24, 26 weeks). Each pen received a cue and control condition simultaneously (test areas without cue presentation) once. For a bout, each cue was presented for 35 min except for the light spot where the duration was 10 min. Birds' responses to the cues during bout and non-bout times were video recorded and analysed for the first bout of each period. To assess the cues' attractiveness, the number of hens during bout times was counted at predefined times within the test and control areas. To assess the cues' effects on piling, we described piling behaviour (pile number, duration, animal numbers, trigger) in control and test areas during bout times. Furthermore, we described piling behaviour during bout times and non-bout times on the first day of the first period and fourth period. The best model explaining the number of hens included the interactions of treatment and bout time, and treatment and area. Over the bout's time course, more hens were attracted to the light spot compared to the control condition, and more to test areas compared to control areas. In the novel object condition, more hens were drawn to the test areas compared to the control areas. Hens were not attracted to the heat area. Piling in bout times was observed twice when hens pecked at the novel object. During non-bout times, piling behaviour occurred frequently at midday and in the late morning compared to the afternoon, mostly in corners and mainly preceded by the mutual attraction of hens. Overall, hens were attracted to light spots and less so to the novel object though neither reliably induced piling behaviour. The occurrence of piling behaviour in non-bout times shows that more work is needed to understand mechanisms eliciting piling behaviour.
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5
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Gallup AC, Schild AB, Ühlein MA, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. No Evidence for Contagious Yawning in Juvenile Ravens ( Corvus corax): An Observational Study. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:1357. [PMID: 35681822 PMCID: PMC9179381 DOI: 10.3390/ani12111357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The overt and reflexive matching of behaviors among conspecifics has been observed in a growing number of social vertebrates, including avian species. In general, behavioral contagion-such as the spread of yawning-may serve important functions in group synchronization and vigilance behavior. Here, we performed an exploratory study to investigate yawn contagion among 10 captive juvenile ravens (Corvus corax), across two groups. Using observational methods, we also examined the contagiousness of three other distinct behaviors: stretching, scratching, and shaking. A total of 44 20 min observations were made across both groups, including 28 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon. The time and occurrence of all the behaviors from each bird were coded, and the temporal pattern of each behavior across both groups was then analyzed to assess the degree of social contagion. Overall, we found no evidence for contagious yawning, stretching, scratching, or shaking. However, yawns were relatively infrequent per observation (0.052 ± 0.076 yawns/bird) and thus experimental methods should be used to support this finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C. Gallup
- Psychology and Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences Programs, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY 13502, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
| | - Anja B. Schild
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Markus A. Ühlein
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Insights from comparative research on social and cultural learning. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2021; 254:247-270. [PMID: 32859290 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Social cognitive skills play a crucial role in human life, and have allowed us to reach a unique level of behavioral and cultural complexity. However, many nonhuman species also show a complex understanding of the social world. Building on theories of human social development, we will follow the emergence of cultural learning skills across taxa, discussing similarities and differences between humans and other species. We will first review literature on social learning, including enhancement, emulation and imitation. Then, we will discuss existing studies on the evolution of teaching, and finally, we will critically review literature on the social transmission of skills and knowledge across generations. By adopting a comparative perspective, we will be able to identify the unique characteristics of social transmission in humans, and the social skills that are instead shared with other species, to gain a deeper understanding of the role of cultural learning in social cognitive development.
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7
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Winter J, Toscano MJ, Stratmann A. Piling behaviour in Swiss layer flocks: Description and related factors. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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8
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Fugazza C, Sommese A, Pogány Á, Miklósi Á. Did we find a copycat? Do as I Do in a domestic cat (Felis catus). Anim Cogn 2021; 24:121-131. [PMID: 32948970 PMCID: PMC7829234 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01428-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study shows evidence of a domestic cat (Felis catus) being able to successfully learn to reproduce human-demonstrated actions based on the Do as I Do paradigm. The subject was trained to reproduce a small set of familiar actions on command "Do it!" before the study began. To test feature-contingent behavioural similarity and control for stimulus enhancement, our test consisted of a modified version of the two-action procedure, combined with the Do as I Do paradigm. Instead of showing two different actions on an object to different subjects, we applied a within-subject design and showed the two actions to the same subject in separate trials. We show evidence that a well-socialized companion cat was able to reproduce actions demonstrated by a human model by reproducing two different actions that were demonstrated on the same object. Our experiment provides the first evidence that the Do as I Do paradigm can be applied to cats, suggesting that the ability to recognize behavioural similarity may fall within the range of the socio-cognitive skills of this species. The ability of reproducing the actions of a heterospecific human model in well-socialized cats may pave the way for future studies addressing cats' imitative skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Fugazza
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Andrea Sommese
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ákos Pogány
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Gray H, Davies R, Bright A, Rayner A, Asher L. Why Do Hens Pile? Hypothesizing the Causes and Consequences. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:616836. [PMID: 33363246 PMCID: PMC7758342 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.616836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Piling is a behavior in laying hens whereby individuals aggregate in larger densities than would be normally expected. When piling behavior leads to mortalities it is known as smothering and its frequent but unpredictable occurrence is a major concern for many egg producers. There are generally considered to be three types of piling: panic, nest box and recurring piling. Whilst nest box and panic piling have apparent triggers, recurring piling does not, making it an enigmatic and ethologically intriguing behavior. The repetitive nature of recurring piling may result in a higher incidence of smothering and could have unconsidered, sub-lethal consequences. Here, we consider the possible causes of recurring piling from an ethological perspective and outline the potential welfare and production consequences. Drawing on a wide range of literature, we consider different timescales of causes from immediate triggers to ontogeny and domestication processes, and finally consider the evolution of collective behavior. By considering different timescales of influence, we built four hypotheses relevant to the causes of piling, which state that the behavior: (i) is caused by hens moving toward or away from an attractant/repellent; (ii) is socially influenced; (iii) is influenced by early life experiences and; (iv) can be described as a maladaptive collective behavior. We further propose that the following could be welfare consequences of piling behavior: Heat stress, physical injury (such as keel bone damage), and behavioral and physiological stress effects. Production consequences include direct and indirect mortality (smothering and knock-on effects of piling, respectively), potential negative impacts on egg quality and on worker welfare. In future studies the causes of piling and smothering should be considered according to the different timescales on which causes might occur. Here, both epidemiological and modeling approaches could support further study of piling behavior, where empirical studies can be challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Gray
- Asher Behaviour Lab, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Davies
- Asher Behaviour Lab, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Ashleigh Bright
- FAI Farms Ltd., The Barn, Wytham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Ann Rayner
- FAI Farms Ltd., The Barn, Wytham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Asher
- Asher Behaviour Lab, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter. Poult Sci 2020; 99:4103-4112. [PMID: 32867953 PMCID: PMC7598005 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
As housing laying hens in aviaries becomes more common, understanding relationships between social context and performance of key behaviors, such as dust bathing (DB), is important. Expression of behaviors may be increased or repressed by the presence of conspecifics, and degree of behavioral synchrony can affect per hen resource allocation. We investigated relationships between number of hens on litter, number of hens simultaneously DB, and interbird distances (IBD) on space used to DB and duration of DB bouts across 4 laying hen strains (Hy-Line Brown [HB], Bovan Brown [BB], DeKalb White [DW], and Hy-Line [W36]) at 28 wk of age. Brown hens needed more space to DB than white hens (HB 1125.26; BB 1146.51 vs. DW 962.65; W36 943.39 cm2; P < 0.01). More white hens occupied litter at once (43 DW, 41 W36 vs. 28 HB, 31 BB; P < 0.01), and more white hens DB simultaneously than brown hens (11 DW, 19 W36 vs. 4 HB, 4 BB; P < 0.01). Brown hens had larger average IBD (HB 13.99, BB 15.11 vs. DW 8.39, W36 7.85 cm; P < 0.01) and larger minimum IBD (HB 6.76, BB 7.35 vs. DW 1.63, W36 1.79 cm; P < 0.01) but shorter DB durations than white hens (HB 7.37, BB 9.00 vs. DW 13.91, W36 15.16 min; P < 0.01). White hens' DB area decreased if number of hens on litter increased (DW 0.85; W36 0.79 cm; P < 0.05) or minimum IBD decreased (DW 3.66, W36 2.98 cm; P < 0.01). Brown hens' DB bout duration decreased as number of hens on litter increased (HB 0.87, BB 0.95 min; P < 0.01), number of other hens DB increased (HB 0.75, BB 0.69 min; P ≤ 0.02), or minimum IBD decreased (HB 2.39, BB 2.31 min; P < 0.01). In response to smaller IBD and more hens on litter simultaneously, DW and W36 hens minimize DB area while BB and HB hens shorten DB bouts, potentially terminating bouts before fulfilling their needs. Variations in DB behavior among strains should be considered when planning and stocking laying hen aviaries.
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11
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Brotcorne F, Holzner A, Jorge-Sales L, Gunst N, Hambuckers A, Wandia IN, Leca JB. Social influence on the expression of robbing and bartering behaviours in Balinese long-tailed macaques. Anim Cogn 2019; 23:311-326. [PMID: 31820148 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01335-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Animals use social information, available from conspecifics, to learn and express novel and adaptive behaviours. Amongst social learning mechanisms, response facilitation occurs when observing a demonstrator performing a behaviour temporarily increases the probability that the observer will perform the same behaviour shortly after. We studied "robbing and bartering" (RB), two behaviours routinely displayed by free-ranging long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia. When robbing, a monkey steals an inedible object from a visitor and may use this object as a token by exchanging it for food with the temple staff (bartering). We tested whether the expression of RB-related behaviours could be explained by response facilitation and was influenced by model-based biases (i.e. dominance rank, age, experience and success of the demonstrator). We compared video-recorded focal samples of 44 witness individuals (WF) immediately after they observed an RB-related event performed by group members, and matched-control focal samples (MCF) of the same focal subjects, located at similar distance from former demonstrators (N = 43 subjects), but in the absence of any RB-related demonstrations. We found that the synchronized expression of robbing and bartering could be explained by response facilitation. Both behaviours occurred significantly more often during WF than during MCF. Following a contagion-like effect, the rate of robbing behaviour displayed by the witness increased with the cumulative rate of robbing behaviour performed by demonstrators, but this effect was not found for the bartering behaviour. The expression of RB was not influenced by model-based biases. Our results support the cultural nature of the RB practice in the Uluwatu macaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fany Brotcorne
- Research Unit SPHERES, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Anna Holzner
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Lucía Jorge-Sales
- Primate Conservation and Sustainable Development, Miku Conservación AC, Mérida, México
| | - Noëlle Gunst
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | | | - I Nengah Wandia
- Primate Research Center, Universitas Udayana, Bali, Indonesia
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12
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Abstract
Information about novel environments or foods can be gathered via individual or social learning. Whereas individual learning is assumed to be more costly and less effective than social learning, it also yields more detailed information. Juveniles are often found to be more explorative than adults. Still under the protection of their parents, this allows them to sample their environment in preparation for later in life. We tested individual and social learning in jackdaws (Corvus monedula) of different age groups in a semi-natural group setting. Juvenile and adult jackdaws differed in their learning propensity. Juveniles spent more time at the test apparatus, were more explorative, and caused the apparatus to open. Almost all the openings at the apparatus matched the demonstrated method. As more observers became available, the juveniles could observe each other. Individuals preferentially watched successful conspecifics and those they could scrounge food from. Lower-ranking individuals tended to watch higher ranking ones; higher ranking individuals preferentially watched conspecifics of similar rank. The control group did not manipulate the apparatus. Due to the lack of this baseline, it was difficult to determine for certain whether the opening technique was acquired via individual or social learning. We conclude that if social learning played a role, the underlying mechanism was most likely local or stimulus enhancement. It is, however, more parsimonious to assume that juveniles were more explorative than adults, and that their opening technique was potentially easier to acquire than the one demonstrated to adults.
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13
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Beauchamp G. Difficulties in Monitoring Conspecifics Mediate the Effects of Visual Obstruction on the Level and Synchronization of Vigilance. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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14
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The learning of action sequences through social transmission. Anim Cogn 2015; 18:1093-103. [PMID: 26006723 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-015-0877-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Previous empirical work on animal social learning has found that many species lack the ability to learn entire action sequences solely through reliance on social information. Conversely, acquiring action sequences through asocial learning can be difficult due to the large number of potential sequences arising from even a small number of base actions. In spite of this, several studies report that some primates use action sequences in the wild. We investigate how social information can be integrated with asocial learning to facilitate the learning of action sequences. We formalize this problem by examining how learners using temporal difference learning, a widely applicable model of reinforcement learning, can combine social cues with their own experiences to acquire action sequences. The learning problem is modeled as a Markov decision process. The learning of nettle processing by mountain gorillas serves as a focal example. Through simulations, we find that the social facilitation of component actions can combine with individual learning to facilitate the acquisition of action sequences. Our analysis illustrates that how even simple forms of social learning, combined with asocial learning, generate substantially faster learning of action sequences compared to asocial processes alone, and that the benefits of social information increase with the length of the action sequence and the number of base actions.
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15
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Ducheminsky N, Henzi SP, Barrett L. Responses of vervet monkeys in large troops to terrestrial and aerial predator alarm calls. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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16
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Finestone E, Bonnie KE, Hopper LM, Vreeman VM, Lonsdorf EV, Ross SR. The interplay between individual, social, and environmental influences on chimpanzee food choices. Behav Processes 2014; 105:71-8. [PMID: 24680959 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The foraging activity of chimpanzees requires individuals to balance personal preferences with nutrient requirements, food availability, and interactions with members of their social group. To determine whether chimpanzee food preferences are fixed or malleable across varying socio-ecological contexts, we presented six zoo-housed chimpanzees with pairwise combinations of four different foods under two experimental conditions. First, we individually tested each chimpanzee's choices for the four foods to ascertain individual preferences. Second, we tested the chimpanzees in a situation which more-closely mimicked the foraging pressures experienced by wild chimpanzees. In this second condition, the chimpanzees were tested in a group setting and the food availability was less predictable, such as in a patchy foraging environment. Subjects expressed significant variation in their selection of which foods to consume in the two different contexts and also appeared more willing to consume less-preferred foods in the unpredictable, social environment. These results suggest that chimpanzees' food preferences are not fixed, but change with context and are likely mediated by social facilitation. This is not only important to understand chimpanzees' foraging patterns and dietary requirements, but also has implications for experimental paradigms that rely on food preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Finestone
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA
| | - Kristin E Bonnie
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA; Department of Psychology, Beloit College, Beloit, USA
| | - Lydia M Hopper
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA
| | - Vivian M Vreeman
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA
| | - Elizabeth V Lonsdorf
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA; Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, USA
| | - Stephen R Ross
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA.
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17
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Hopper LM, Lambeth SP, Schapiro SJ, Brosnan SF. When given the opportunity, chimpanzees maximize personal gain rather than "level the playing field". PeerJ 2013; 1:e165. [PMID: 24109550 PMCID: PMC3792176 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We provided chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) with the ability to improve the quality of food rewards they received in a dyadic test of inequity. We were interested to see if this provision influenced their responses and, if so, whether it was mediated by a social partner’s outcomes. We tested eight dyads using an exchange paradigm in which, depending on the condition, the chimpanzees were rewarded with either high-value (a grape) or low-value (a piece of celery) food rewards for each completed exchange. We included four conditions. In the first, “Different” condition, the subject received different, less-preferred, rewards than their partner for each exchange made (a test of inequity). In the “Unavailable” condition, high-value rewards were shown, but not given, to both chimpanzees prior to each exchange and the chimpanzees were rewarded equally with low-value rewards (a test of individual contrast). The final two conditions created equity. In these High-value and Low-value “Same” conditions both chimpanzees received the same food rewards for each exchange. Within each condition, the chimpanzees first completed ten trials in the Baseline Phase, in which the experimenter determined the rewards they received, and then ten trials in the Test Phase. In the Test Phase, the chimpanzees could exchange tokens through the aperture of a small wooden picture frame hung on their cage mesh in order to receive the high-value reward. Thus, in the Test Phase, the chimpanzees were provided with an opportunity to improve the quality of the rewards they received, either absolutely or relative to what their partner received. The chimpanzees responded in a targeted manner; in the Test Phase they attempted to maximize their returns in all conditions in which they had received low-value rewards during the Baseline Phase. Thus, the chimpanzees were apparently motivated to increase their reward regardless of their partners’, but they only used the mechanism provided when it afforded the opportunity for them to increase their rewards. We also found evidence that the chimpanzees’ responses were enhanced by social facilitation. Specifically, the chimpanzees were more likely to exchange their tokens through the frame when their test partner also did so, even in circumstances in which their reward value could not be improved. Our paradigm provided the chimpanzees with the possibility to improve the quality of rewards they received in the Test Phase. We found that refusals – to exchange tokens or to eat rewards – decreased significantly in the Test Phase compared to the Baseline Phase, where no such opportunity for improvement of outcomes existed. Thus, the chimpanzees participated more when they could improve the rewards they received.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia M Hopper
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study & Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo , USA ; Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center , Bastrop TX , USA ; Language Research Center, Georgia State University , Atlanta GA , USA
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Amici F, Aureli F, Call J. Response facilitation in the four great apes: is there a role for empathy? Primates 2013; 55:113-8. [PMID: 23975161 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-013-0375-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 07/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Contagious yawning is a form of response facilitation found in humans and other primates in which observing a model yawning enhances the chance that the observer will also yawn. Because contagious yawning seems to be more easily triggered when models are conspecifics or have a strong social bond with the observer, it has been proposed that contagious yawning is linked to empathy. A possible way to test this hypothesis is to analyze whether individuals' responses differ when they observe models yawning or performing different involuntary (i.e., nose wiping, scratching) and voluntary (i.e., hand closing, wrist shaking) actions that are not linked to empathy. In this study, we tested the four great ape species with two different setups by exposing them to a human experimenter repeatedly performing these actions online, and video-recorded conspecifics repeatedly performing these actions on a screen. We examined which behaviors were subject to response facilitation, whether response facilitation was triggered by both human models and video-recorded conspecifics, and whether all species showed evidence of response facilitation. Our results showed that chimpanzees yawned significantly more when and shortly after watching videos of conspecifics (but not humans) yawning than in control conditions, and they did not do so as a response to increased levels of anxiety. For all other behaviors, no species produced more target actions when being exposed to either model than under control conditions. Moreover, the individuals that were more "reactive" when watching yawning videos were not more reactive when exposed to other actions. Since, at least in chimpanzees, (1) subjects only showed response facilitation when they were exposed to yawning and (2) only if models were conspecifics, it appears that contagious yawning is triggered by unique mechanisms and might be linked to empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Amici
- Department of Comparative and Developmental Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany,
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The relation between fearfulness in young and stress-response in adult laying hens, on individual and group level. Physiol Behav 2012; 107:433-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 08/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Miller ML, Gallup AC, Vogel AR, Vicario SM, Clark AB. Evidence for contagious behaviors in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus): An observational study of yawning and stretching. Behav Processes 2012; 89:264-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2011.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2011] [Revised: 12/02/2011] [Accepted: 12/11/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Bates LA, Byrne RW. Imitation: what animal imitation tells us about animal cognition. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2010; 1:685-695. [DOI: 10.1002/wcs.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy A. Bates
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology, University of St.Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Richard W. Byrne
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology, University of St.Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
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Hopper LM. ‘Ghost’ experiments and the dissection of social learning in humans and animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2010; 85:685-701. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2010.00120.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Fox RA, Millam JR. The Use of Ratings and Direct Behavioural Observation to Measure Temperament Traits in Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus). Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01713.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Pohle K, Cheng HW. Furnished cage system and hen well-being: Comparative effects of furnished cages and battery cages on behavioral exhibitions in White Leghorn chickens. Poult Sci 2009; 88:1559-64. [PMID: 19590069 DOI: 10.3382/ps.2009-00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The battery cage system is being banned in the European Union before or by 2012, and the furnished cage system will be the only cage system allowed after 2012. This study was conducted to examine the different effects of caging systems, furnished cages vs. battery cages, on bird behaviors. One hundred ninety-two 1-d-old non-beak-trimmed Hy-Line W-36 White Leghorn chicks were reared using standard management practices in raised wire cages. At 19 wk of age, the birds were randomly assigned into battery cages or furnished cages. The battery cages were commercial wire cages containing 6 birds per cage, providing 645 cm(2) of floor space per birds. The furnished cages had wire floors and solid metal walls, with perches, a dustbathing area, scratch pads, and a nestbox area with a concealment curtain. Based on the company recommendations, 10 birds were housed per cage, providing a stocking density of 610 cm(2) of floor space per bird. Behavioral observations were conducted using the Noldus Observer software package. The birds were observed at 5-min intervals for the entire light period. The birds housed in battery cages had higher posture and behavioral transitions and increased time spent walking and performing exploratory behavior (P < 0.05, 0.01, respectively), which may indicate they were stressed, resulting in restlessness, whereas the birds housed in furnished cages had higher levels of preening (P < 0.05). Preening has been considered as a comfort behavior in birds. These results may suggest that furnished cages may be a favorable alternative system for housing birds by allowing them to perform certain natural behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Pohle
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
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Tennie C, Glabsch E, Tempelmann S, Bräuer J, Kaminski J, Call J. Dogs, Canis familiaris, fail to copy intransitive actions in third-party contextual imitation tasks. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Richards C, Mottley K, Pearce J, Heyes C. Imitative pecking by budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus, over a 24 h delay. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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The brain in culture and culture in the brain: a review of core issues in neuroanthropology. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2009; 178:43-64. [DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(09)17804-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Hoppitt W, Laland KN. Chapter 3 Social Processes Influencing Learning in Animals: A Review of the Evidence. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3454(08)00003-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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