1
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Schaffer A, Widdig A, Holland R, Amici F. Evidence of object permanence, short-term spatial memory, causality, understanding of object properties and gravity across five different ungulate species. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13718. [PMID: 38877059 PMCID: PMC11178844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64396-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
In their natural environment, animals face a variety of ecological and social challenges, which might be linked to the emergence of different cognitive skills. To assess inter-specific variation in cognitive skills, we used ungulates as a study model, testing a total of 26 captive individuals across 5 different species (i.e., dwarf goats, Capra aegagrus hircus, llamas, Lama glama, guanacos, Lama guanicoe, zebras, Equus grevyi, and rhinos, Diceros bicornis michaeli). Across species, we used the same well-established experimental procedures to test individuals' performance in naïve physics tasks, i.e. object permanence, short-term spatial memory, causality, understanding of object properties, and gravity. Our results revealed that study subjects showed object permanence, were able to remember the position of hidden food after up to 60 s, and inferred the position of hidden food from the sound produced or not produced when shaking containers. Moreover, they showed an understanding of basic object properties, being able to locate objects hidden behind occluders based on their size and inclination, and could reliably follow the trajectory of falling objects across different conditions. Finally, inter-specific differences were limited to the understanding of object properties, and suggest that domesticated species as goats might perform better than non-domesticated ones in tasks requiring these skills. These results provide new information on the cognitive skills of a still understudied taxon and confirm ungulates as a promising taxon for the comparative study of cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Schaffer
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Anja Widdig
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Federica Amici
- Research Group Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Rössler T, Auersperg AM. Recent developments in parrot cognition: a quadrennial update. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:199-228. [PMID: 36547738 PMCID: PMC9877086 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01733-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Psittacines, along with corvids, are commonly referred to as 'feathered apes' due to their advanced cognitive abilities. Until rather recently, the research effort on parrot cognition was lagging behind that on corvids, however current developments show that the number of parrot studies is steadily increasing. In 2018, M. L. Lambert et al. provided a comprehensive review on the status of the most important work done so far in parrot and corvid cognition. Nevertheless, only a little more than 4 years after this publication, more than 50 new parrot studies have been published, some of them chartering completely new territory. On the 25th anniversary of Animal Cognition we think this warrants a detailed review of parrot cognition research over the last 4 years. We aim to capture recent developments and current trends in this rapidly expanding and diversifying field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Rössler
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alice M. Auersperg
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Feiman R, Mody S, Carey S. The development of reasoning by exclusion in infancy. Cogn Psychol 2022; 135:101473. [PMID: 35358901 PMCID: PMC9149114 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2022.101473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
How do humans develop the capacity to reason? In five studies, we examined infants' emerging ability to make exclusion inferences using negation, as in the disjunctive syllogism (P or Q; not P; therefore Q). Inspired by studies of non-human animals and older children, Experiments 1-3 used an exclusion task adapted from Call's (2004) 2-cup paradigm and Experiments 4-5 used an exclusion task adapted from the blicket detector paradigm (Sobel & Kirkham, 2006). In both tasks, we found failure to make exclusion inferences at 15 months, fragile success at 17 months, and robust success by 20 months of age. These data converge with some prior evidence that fails to find a capacity to represent negation in infants younger than 15 months of age and conflict with other evidence from different paradigms that suggests infants do have this capacity. We discuss three different resolutions of these conflicting data, and suggest lines of further work that might adjudicate among them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Feiman
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, USA.
| | - Shilpa Mody
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, USA
| | - Susan Carey
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, USA
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4
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Through the eyes of a hunter: assessing perception and exclusion performance in ground-hornbills. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1665-1670. [PMID: 35394265 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01619-3] [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: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Logical inference, once strictly associated with spoken language, is now reported in some non-human animals. One aspect of logical inference, reasoning by exclusion, has been traditionally explored through the use of the cups task (cup A and cup B, if not cup A, then exclude cup A and select cup B). However, to fully understand the factors that drove the evolution of logical processes in animals, this latter paradigm needs to cover a taxonomically broader spectrum of species. In this study, we aimed to test the capacity of Southern ground-hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) to show exclusion performance in a two-way object-choice task. First, we determined whether subjects could perceive and choose correctly between two containers (one rewarded, one unrewarded) using visual or acoustic cues (sensory phase). If successful, individuals were then presented with three experimental conditions (test phase): Full information (content of both cups revealed), Exclusion (content of the empty cup revealed), and Control (no content revealed). During the sensory phase, ground-hornbills succeeded in choosing the rewarded container only in the visual modality. Birds were able to select the rewarded container more than would be expected by chance in the Full information condition, but their performances were equal to chance in the Control condition. The without-learning performance of two individuals within the Exclusion condition indicates that this task is not trivial, which invites further investigation on this species' capacity to represent the dependent relationship between the cups (true logical inference).
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5
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Gesteiro E, García-Carro A, Aparicio-Ugarriza R, González-Gross M. Eating out of Home: Influence on Nutrition, Health, and Policies: A Scoping Review. Nutrients 2022; 14:1265. [PMID: 35334920 PMCID: PMC8953831 DOI: 10.3390/nu14061265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eating out of home (EOH) is a common practice worldwide but research gaps have been identified. The aims of this review were (a) to find a common definition for EOH, (b) to determine the nutritional contribution of EOH, and (c) to analyze the relationship of EOH with health parameters in adults. Fifty-seven articles were finally selected. The definition of EOH was not harmonized between researchers and the comparison between studies was quite difficult. Restaurant and fast food were the terms most used, followed by chain restaurant, à la carte, sit-down restaurant, eating at table, full service, ready to eat, takeaway, buffet and buffet by weight, bar, cafes, and cafeterias, either alone or attached to at least one of the above. The profile of the main EOH participant was a highly educated, high-income, and unmarried young man. EOH was related to a body mass index (BMI) or being overweight in a different way depending on age, sex, or EOH frequency. A high rate of EOH led to poorer diet quality, characterized by higher intakes of energy, total and saturated fats, sugar, and sodium, as well as lower intakes of fiber, dairy, fruit, vegetables, and micronutrients. Regarding beverages, a higher intake of soft drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, beer, and other alcohol was observed when EOH. There is a need for a methodological consensus for analyzing the impact of EOH on dietary intake and health to avoid bias. Additionally, measures and policies should be utilized to help consumers to make healthier choices when EOH is compatible with business regarding those running EOH establishments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Gesteiro
- ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-C.); (R.A.-U.); (M.G.-G.)
| | - Alberto García-Carro
- ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-C.); (R.A.-U.); (M.G.-G.)
| | - Raquel Aparicio-Ugarriza
- ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-C.); (R.A.-U.); (M.G.-G.)
| | - Marcela González-Gross
- ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-C.); (R.A.-U.); (M.G.-G.)
- Institute of Health Carlos III, CIBEROBN (Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, CB12/03/30038), E-28029 Madrid, Spain
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Wild skuas can use acoustic cues to locate hidden food. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1357-1363. [PMID: 35292871 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01611-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Among animals, the visual acuity of several predatory bird species is probably the most outstanding. This, and the ease with which visually based tasks are administered, has led researchers to predominantly use the visual modality when studying avian cognition. Some wild skua populations routinely use acoustic cues emitted by their prey during foraging. In this study, we thus assessed whether this species was able to locate hidden food using acoustic cues alone (training phase). During the subsequent test phase, we investigated the capacity of successful individuals to choose the correct baited container in four conditions: (i) baited (shaking the baited container), (ii) full information (shaking both containers), (iii) exclusion (shaking the empty container), and (iv) control (shaking neither container). Four out of ten subjects succeeded in locating the baited container in the training phase. During the test phase, most subjects chose the baited container significantly more than the empty container in the baited and full information condition, while their performance was at chance level in the control condition. When no sound emanated from the empty container in the exclusion condition, one out of four skuas chose the baited container with more accuracy than predicted by chance. As this bird chose correctly on the first trial and during the first five trials, its performance is unlikely due to learning processes (learning to exclude the empty container). Although further tests are necessary to draw firm conclusions, our results open the way for assessing further this species' reasoning abilities in the wild.
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7
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Warren E, Call J. Inferential Communication: Bridging the Gap Between Intentional and Ostensive Communication in Non-human Primates. Front Psychol 2022; 12:718251. [PMID: 35095633 PMCID: PMC8795877 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718251] [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: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication, when defined as an act intended to affect the psychological state of another individual, demands the use of inference. Either the signaler, the recipient, or both must make leaps of understanding which surpass the semantic information available and draw from pragmatic clues to fully imbue and interpret meaning. While research into human communication and the evolution of language has long been comfortable with mentalistic interpretations of communicative exchanges, including rich attributions of mental state, research into animal communication has balked at theoretical models which describe mentalized cognitive mechanisms. We submit a new theoretical perspective on animal communication: the model of inferential communication. For use when existing proximate models of animal communication are not sufficient to fully explain the complex, flexible, and intentional communication documented in certain species, specifically non-human primates, we present our model as a bridge between shallower, less cognitive descriptions of communicative behavior and the perhaps otherwise inaccessible mentalistic interpretations of communication found in theoretical considerations of human language. Inferential communication is a framework that builds on existing evidence of referentiality, intentionality, and social inference in primates. It allows that they might be capable of applying social inferences to a communicative setting, which could explain some of the cognitive processes that enable the complexity and flexibility of primate communication systems. While historical models of animal communication focus on the means-ends process of behavior and apparent cognitive outcomes, inferential communication invites consideration of the mentalistic processes that must underlie those outcomes. We propose a mentalized approach to questions, investigations, and interpretations of non-human primate communication. We include an overview of both ultimate and proximate models of animal communication, which contextualize the role and utility of our inferential communication model, and provide a detailed breakdown of the possible levels of cognitive complexity which could be investigated using this framework. Finally, we present some possible applications of inferential communication in the field of non-human primate communication and highlight the role it could play in advancing progress toward an increasingly precise understanding of the cognitive capabilities of our closest living relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Warren
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
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8
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Exclusion in the field: wild brown skuas find hidden food in the absence of visual information. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:867-876. [PMID: 33594576 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01486-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Inferential reasoning by exclusion allows responding adaptively to various environmental stimuli when confronted with inconsistent or partial information. In the experimental context, this mechanism involves selecting correctly between an empty option and a potentially rewarded one. Recently, the increasing reports of this capacity in phylogenetically distant species have led to the assumption that reasoning by exclusion is the result of convergent evolution. Within one largely unstudied avian order, i.e. the Charadriiformes, brown skuas (Catharacta antarctica ssp lonnbergi) are highly flexible and opportunistic predators. Behavioural flexibility, along with specific aspects of skuas' feeding ecology, may act as influencing factors in their ability to show exclusion performance. Our study aims to test whether skuas are able to choose by exclusion in a visual two-way object-choice task. Twenty-six wild birds were presented with two opaque cups, one covering a food reward. Three conditions were used: 'full information' (showing the content of both cups), 'exclusion' (showing the content of the empty cup), and 'control' (not showing any content). Skuas preferentially selected the rewarded cup in the full information and exclusion condition. The use of olfactory cues was excluded by results in the control condition. Our study opens new field investigations for testing further the cognition of this predatory seabird.
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9
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Xu JJ, Gao F, Wu JQ, Zheng H, Tong W, Cheng XF, Liu Y, Zhu H, Fu X, Jiang Y, Li L, Kong N, Li G, Tong G. Characterization of Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of Pseudorabies Virus Protein UL46. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:484. [PMID: 32974393 PMCID: PMC7472561 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is the etiological agent of Aujeszky's disease, which has caused severe economic loss in China since its re-emergence in 2011. UL46, a late gene of herpesvirus, codes for the abundant but non-essential viral phosphoproteins 11 and 12 (VP11/12). In this study, VP11/12 was found to localize inside both the nucleus and cytoplasm. The nuclear localization signal (NLS) of VP11/12 was identified as 3RRARGTRRASWKDASR18. Further research identified α5 and α7 to be the receptors for NLS and the chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1) to be the receptor for the nuclear export signal. Moreover, we found that PRV VP11/12 interacts with EP0 and the stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING), whereas the NLS of VP11/12 is the important part for VP11/12 to interact with UL48. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide reliable evidence verifying the nuclear localization of VP11/12 and its role as an additional shuttling tegument protein for PRV. In addition, this is also the first study to elucidate the interactions between PRV VP11/12 and EP0 as well as between PRV VP11/12 and STING, while identifying the precise interaction sites of PRV VP11/12 and VP16.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Jing Xu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Gao
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ji-Qiang Wu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Zheng
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wu Tong
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xue-Fei Cheng
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuting Liu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Haojie Zhu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinling Fu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifeng Jiang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liwei Li
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ning Kong
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoxin Li
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Guangzhi Tong
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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10
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Arold ST. Intrinsic negative feedback as a limiting factor for the evolution of higher forms of intelligence. F1000Res 2020; 9:34. [PMID: 34504689 PMCID: PMC8408545 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.22039.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Longstanding scientific efforts have been dedicated to answer why and how our particular intelligence is generated by our brain but not by the brain of other species. However, surprisingly little effort has been made to ask why no other species ever developed an intelligence similar to ours. Here, I explore this question based on genetic and paleontologic evidence. Contrary to the established view, this review suggests that the developmental hurdles alone are not high enough to explain the uniqueness of human intelligence (HI). As an additional explanation I propose that HI is normally not retained by natural selection, because it is, under most conditions, an intrinsically unfavourable trait. This unfavourableness, however, cannot be explained by physical constraints alone; rather, it may also be rooted in the same emotional and social complexity that is necessary for the development of HI. Thus, a major obstacle towards HI may not be solely the development of the required physical assets, but also to cope with harmful individual, social and environmental feedback intrinsically associated with this trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan T Arold
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, MK, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.,Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
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11
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Miller R, Boeckle M, Jelbert SA, Frohnwieser A, Wascher CAF, Clayton NS. Self-control in crows, parrots and nonhuman primates. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2019; 10:e1504. [PMID: 31108570 PMCID: PMC6852083 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Self-control is critical for both humans and nonhuman animals because it underlies complex cognitive abilities, such as decision-making and future planning, enabling goal-directed behavior. For instance, it is positively associated with social competence and life success measures in humans. We present the first review of delay of gratification as a measure of self-control in nonhuman primates, corvids (crow family) and psittacines (parrot order): disparate groups that show comparable advanced cognitive abilities and similar socio-ecological factors. We compare delay of gratification performance and identify key issues and outstanding areas for future research, including finding the best measures and drivers of delayed gratification. Our review therefore contributes to our understanding of both delayed gratification as a measure of self-control and of complex cognition in animals. This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Psychology > Comparative Psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Miller
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Markus Boeckle
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Department of PsychotherapyBertha von Suttner Private UniversityAustria
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12
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Chitosan–silica nanoparticles catalyst (M@CS–SiO2) for the degradation of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine. RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11164-018-3697-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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13
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14
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Kabadayi C, Krasheninnikova A, O'Neill L, van de Weijer J, Osvath M, von Bayern AMP. Are parrots poor at motor self-regulation or is the cylinder task poor at measuring it? Anim Cogn 2017; 20:1137-1146. [PMID: 28929247 PMCID: PMC5640728 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1131-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to inhibit unproductive motor responses triggered by salient stimuli is a fundamental inhibitory skill. Such motor self-regulation is thought to underlie more complex cognitive mechanisms, like self-control. Recently, a large-scale study, comparing 36 species, found that absolute brain size best predicted competence in motor inhibition, with great apes as the best performers. This was challenged when three Corvus species (corvids) were found to parallel great apes despite having much smaller absolute brain sizes. However, new analyses suggest that it is the number of pallial neurons, and not absolute brain size per se, that correlates with levels of motor inhibition. Both studies used the cylinder task, a detour-reaching test where food is presented behind a transparent barrier. We tested four species from the order Psittaciformes (parrots) on this task. Like corvids, many parrots have relatively large brains, high numbers of pallial neurons, and solve challenging cognitive tasks. Nonetheless, parrots performed markedly worse than the Corvus species in the cylinder task and exhibited strong learning effects in performance and response times. Our results suggest either that parrots are poor at controlling their motor impulses, and hence that pallial neuronal numbers do not always correlate with such skills, or that the widely used cylinder task may not be a good measure of motor inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Kabadayi
- Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, 22100, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Anastasia Krasheninnikova
- Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
- Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundacíon, 38400, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Laurie O'Neill
- Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
- Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundacíon, 38400, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Joost van de Weijer
- Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University, Helgonabacken 12, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mathias Osvath
- Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, 22100, Lund, Sweden
| | - Auguste M P von Bayern
- Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
- Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundacíon, 38400, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain.
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15
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The gray matter: Prevention and reduction of abnormal behavior in companion gray parrots (Psittacus erithacus). J Vet Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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16
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Publisher's Note. J Vet Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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17
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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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18
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Mody S, Carey S. The emergence of reasoning by the disjunctive syllogism in early childhood. Cognition 2016; 154:40-48. [PMID: 27239748 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Logical inference is often seen as an exclusively human and language-dependent ability, but several nonhuman animal species search in a manner that is consistent with a deductive inference, the disjunctive syllogism: when a reward is hidden in one of two cups, and one cup is shown to be empty, they will search for the reward in the other cup. In Experiment 1, we extended these results to toddlers, finding that 23-month-olds consistently approached the non-empty location. However, these results could reflect non-deductive approaches of simply avoiding the empty location, or of searching in any location that might contain the reward, rather than reasoning through the disjunctive syllogism to infer that the other location must contain the reward. Experiment 2 addressed these alternatives, finding evidence that 3- to 5-year-olds used the disjunctive syllogism, while 2.5-year-olds did not. This suggests that younger children may not easily deploy this logical inference, and that a non-deductive approach may be behind the successful performance of nonhuman animals and human infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Mody
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
| | - Susan Carey
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
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O'Hara M, Schwing R, Federspiel I, Gajdon GK, Huber L. Reasoning by exclusion in the kea (Nestor notabilis). Anim Cogn 2016; 19:965-75. [PMID: 27209174 PMCID: PMC4967098 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-0998-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Reasoning by exclusion, i.e. the ability to understand that if there are only two possibilities and if it is not A, it must be B, has been a topic of great interest in recent comparative cognition research. Many studies have investigated this ability, employing different methods, but rarely exploring concurrent decision processes underlying choice behaviour of non-human animals encountering inconsistent or incomplete information. Here, we employed a novel training and test method in order to perform an in-depth analysis of the underlying processes. Importantly, to discourage the explorative behaviour of the kea, a highly neophilic species, the training included a large amount of novel, unrewarded stimuli. The subsequent test consisted of 30 sessions with different sequences of four test trials. In these test trials, we confronted the kea with novel stimuli that were paired with either the rewarded or unrewarded training stimuli or with the novel stimuli of previous test trials. Once habituated to novelty, eight out of fourteen kea tested responded to novel stimuli by inferring their contingency via logical exclusion of the alternative. One individual inferred predominantly in this way, while other response strategies, such as one trial learning, stimulus preferences and avoiding the negative stimulus also guided the responses of the remaining individuals. Interestingly, the difficulty of the task had no influence on the test performance. We discuss the implications of these findings for the current hypotheses about the emergence of inferential reasoning in some avian species, considering causal links to brain size, feeding ecology and social complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark O'Hara
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. .,Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ira Federspiel
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gyula K Gajdon
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Güntürkün O, Bugnyar T. Cognition without Cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:291-303. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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O’Hara M, Auersperg AMI, Bugnyar T, Huber L. Inference by Exclusion in Goffin Cockatoos (Cacatua goffini). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134894. [PMID: 26244692 PMCID: PMC4526371 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Inference by exclusion, the ability to base choices on the systematic exclusion of alternatives, has been studied in many nonhuman species over the past decade. However, the majority of methodologies employed so far are hard to integrate into a comparative framework as they rarely use controls for the effect of neophilia. Here, we present an improved approach that takes neophilia into account, using an abstract two-choice task on a touch screen, which is equally feasible for a large variety of species. To test this approach we chose Goffin cockatoos (Cacatua goffini), a highly explorative Indonesian parrot species, which have recently been reported to have sophisticated cognitive skills in the technical domain. Our results indicate that Goffin cockatoos are able to solve such abstract two-choice tasks employing inference by exclusion but also highlight the importance of other response strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark O’Hara
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Alice M. I. Auersperg
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Domestic pigs' (Sus scrofa domestica) use of direct and indirect visual and auditory cues in an object choice task. Anim Cogn 2015; 18:757-66. [PMID: 25650328 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-015-0842-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Recently, foraging strategies have been linked to the ability to use indirect visual information. More selective feeders should express a higher aversion against losses compared to non-selective feeders and should therefore be more prone to avoid empty food locations. To extend these findings, in this study, we present a series of studies investigating the use of direct and indirect visual and auditory information by an omnivorous but selective feeder-the domestic pig. Subjects had to choose between two buckets, with only one containing a reward. Before making a choice, the subjects in Experiment 1 (N = 8) received full information regarding both the baited and non-baited location, either in a visual or auditory domain. In this experiment, the subjects were able to use visual but not auditory cues to infer the location of the reward spontaneously. Additionally, four individuals learned to use auditory cues after a period of training. In Experiment 2 (N = 8), the pigs were given different amounts of visual information about the content of the buckets-lifting either both of the buckets (full information), the baited bucket (direct information), the empty bucket (indirect information) or no bucket at all (no information). The subjects as a group were able to use direct and indirect visual cues. However, over the course of the experiment, the performance dropped to chance level when indirect information was provided. A final experiment (N = 3) provided preliminary results for pigs' use of indirect auditory information to infer the location of a reward. We conclude that pigs at a very young age are able to make decisions based on indirect information in the visual domain, whereas their performance in the use of indirect auditory information warrants further investigation.
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Auersperg AMI, Oswald N, Domanegg M, Gajdon GK, Bugnyar T. Unrewarded Object Combinations in Captive Parrots. ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND COGNITION 2014; 1:470-488. [PMID: 25984564 PMCID: PMC4430810 DOI: 10.12966/abc.11.05.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In primates, complex object combinations during play are often regarded as precursors of functional behavior. Here we investigate combinatory behaviors during unrewarded object manipulation in seven parrot species, including kea, African grey parrots and Goffin cockatoos, three species previously used as model species for technical problem solving. We further examine a habitually tool using species, the black palm cockatoo. Moreover, we incorporate three neotropical species, the yellow- and the black-billed Amazon and the burrowing parakeet. Paralleling previous studies on primates and corvids, free object-object combinations and complex object-substrate combinations such as inserting objects into tubes/holes or stacking rings onto poles prevailed in the species previously linked to advanced physical cognition and tool use. In addition, free object-object combinations were intrinsically structured in Goffin cockatoos and in kea.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gyula Koppany Gajdon
- University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine ; University of Veterinary Medicine
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- University of Vienna ; University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine
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Nawroth C, von Borell E, Langbein J. Exclusion performance in dwarf goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and sheep (Ovis orientalis aries). PLoS One 2014; 9:e93534. [PMID: 24695781 PMCID: PMC3973590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a comparative approach, we investigated the ability of dwarf goats and sheep to use direct and indirect information about the location of a food reward in an object-choice task. Subjects had to choose between two cups with only one covering a reward. Before making a choice, subjects received information about the baited (direct information) or non-baited cup (indirect information). Both goats and sheep were able to use direct information (presence of food) in the object choice task. After controlling for local enhancement, we found that goats rather than sheep were able to use indirect information (i.e., the absence of food) to find a reward. The actual test setup could not clarify whether individual goats were able to inferentially reason about the content of the baited cup when only shown the content of the non-baited cup or if they simply avoided the empty cup in that situation. As browsing species, feral and wild goats exhibit highly selective feeding behaviour compared to the rather unselective grazing sheep. The potential influence of this species-specific foraging flexibility of goats and sheep for using direct and indirect information to find a food reward is discussed in relation to a higher aversion to losses in food acquisition in goats compared to sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Nawroth
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Ecology, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University, Halle, Germany
| | - Eberhard von Borell
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Ecology, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University, Halle, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Plotnik JM, Shaw RC, Brubaker DL, Tiller LN, Clayton NS. Thinking with their trunks: elephants use smell but not sound to locate food and exclude nonrewarding alternatives. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Understanding of and reasoning about object-object relationships in long-tailed macaques? Anim Cogn 2013; 16:493-507. [PMID: 23417558 PMCID: PMC3625412 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-012-0591-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Revised: 12/13/2012] [Accepted: 12/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Diagnostic reasoning, defined as the ability to infer unobserved causes based on the observation of their effects, is a central cognitive competency of humans. Yet, little is known about diagnostic reasoning in non-human primates, and what we know is largely restricted to the Great Apes. To track the evolutionary history of these skills within primates, we investigated long-tailed macaques’ understanding of the significance of inclinations of covers of hidden food as diagnostic indicators for the presence of an object located underneath. Subjects were confronted with choices between different objects that might cover food items. Based on their physical characteristics, the shape and orientation of the covers did or did not reveal the location of a hidden reward. For instance, hiding the reward under a solid board led to its inclination, whereas a hollow cup remained unaltered. Thus, the type of cover and the occurrence or absence of a change in their appearance could potentially be used to reason diagnostically about the location of the reward. In several experiments, the macaques were confronted with a varying number of covers and their performance was dependent on the level of complexity and on the type of change of the covers’ orientation. The macaques could use a board’s inclination to detect the reward, but failed to do so if the lack of inclination was indicative of an alternative hiding place. We suggest that the monkeys’ performance is based on a rudimentary understanding of causality, but find no good evidence for sophisticated diagnostic reasoning in this particular domain.
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Reasoning. Anim Cogn 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-137-36729-7_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Parrots can make inferences. Nature 2012. [DOI: 10.1038/489338c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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