Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.11.01.04.2024
Reese Fry, Amaro Tuninetti, James A Simmons, A. Simmons
Vocalizing animals confront acoustically challenging conditions in which background noise (clutter) can mask or shift attention away from biologically relevant signals. Echolocating big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are excellent comparative models for studying how animals differentiate between multiple sound sources in complex acoustic scenes. We trained four big brown bats to fly down an asymmetrical corridor producing distinct clutter echoes from the two sides. While in flight, they were presented with playbacks of exemplars of an echolocation call, a social communication call, or waterfall noise, from one or both sides of this corridor; a silence condition served as a control. We predicted that bats would perceive the playbacks, as indexed by modifications of their vocalizations and shifts in their head aim. Bats completed flights at a high rate of success in all conditions. Although bats produced calls in similar sized sonar sound groups in playback and silent trials, they emitted more echolocation calls and shortened the time intervals between calls in response to playbacks. These comparisons suggest the playbacks increased the perceptual difficulty of the task to some extent. Bats aimed their heads towards the left side of the corridor where clutter echoes were acoustically stronger but also sparser. Changes in head aim in response to playbacks were small. Our data suggest that big brown bats flying through clutter detect differences in the information content of surrounding acoustic scenes and alter their echolocation behavior accordingly.
{"title":"Manipulating Environmental Clutter Reveals Dynamic Active Sensing Strategies in Big Brown Bats","authors":"Reese Fry, Amaro Tuninetti, James A Simmons, A. Simmons","doi":"10.26451/abc.11.01.04.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.11.01.04.2024","url":null,"abstract":"Vocalizing animals confront acoustically challenging conditions in which background noise (clutter) can mask or shift attention away from biologically relevant signals. Echolocating big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are excellent comparative models for studying how animals differentiate between multiple sound sources in complex acoustic scenes. We trained four big brown bats to fly down an asymmetrical corridor producing distinct clutter echoes from the two sides. While in flight, they were presented with playbacks of exemplars of an echolocation call, a social communication call, or waterfall noise, from one or both sides of this corridor; a silence condition served as a control. We predicted that bats would perceive the playbacks, as indexed by modifications of their vocalizations and shifts in their head aim. Bats completed flights at a high rate of success in all conditions. Although bats produced calls in similar sized sonar sound groups in playback and silent trials, they emitted more echolocation calls and shortened the time intervals between calls in response to playbacks. These comparisons suggest the playbacks increased the perceptual difficulty of the task to some extent. Bats aimed their heads towards the left side of the corridor where clutter echoes were acoustically stronger but also sparser. Changes in head aim in response to playbacks were small. Our data suggest that big brown bats flying through clutter detect differences in the information content of surrounding acoustic scenes and alter their echolocation behavior accordingly.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"43 31","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140464674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.10.01.05.2024
Michael Haslam
This study reports the novel manufacture and use of tools by wild European or common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in mainland Orkney, Scotland. On two occasions over a period of ten days, multiple starlings picked off and applied pieces of discarded sheep’s fleece to the area under their wings and tails, in a manner similar to widespread ‘anting’ behavior. The birds’ goal is unknown, but it is likely that they are using the woolen tools for feather maintenance or another form of self-care. These observations reflect a previously unreported form of tool use in European starlings, which was rapid, repeated, and performed by several members of a flock.
{"title":"Wild European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) Make and Use Woolen Tools","authors":"Michael Haslam","doi":"10.26451/abc.10.01.05.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.10.01.05.2024","url":null,"abstract":"This study reports the novel manufacture and use of tools by wild European or common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in mainland Orkney, Scotland. On two occasions over a period of ten days, multiple starlings picked off and applied pieces of discarded sheep’s fleece to the area under their wings and tails, in a manner similar to widespread ‘anting’ behavior. The birds’ goal is unknown, but it is likely that they are using the woolen tools for feather maintenance or another form of self-care. These observations reflect a previously unreported form of tool use in European starlings, which was rapid, repeated, and performed by several members of a flock.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"439 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140468826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.11.01.06.2024
Samuel Richardson
Environmental enrichment aims to enhance primate wellbeing by providing physical and mental stimuli to address the biological and psychological needs of individuals. However, lack of knowledge regarding the development of enrichment research hampers implementors and future inquiries. Therefore, a collection of data from 227 peer-reviewed and freely available articles on primate enrichment (published from 1978 to 2019) was performed to present enrichment trends and outcomes through descriptive statistics. Behavior was the most recorded parameter (n=203), whereas physiological data were reported less frequently (n=20). Feeding enrichment (n=87) and tactile enrichment (n=62) were the most investigated enrichment categories, while other categories, such as olfactory enrichment (n=5) gained less attention. A total of 71 primate species were recorded across zoological (n=57), laboratory (n=22), and unspecified (not stated) research settings (n=5), with laboratory environments being predominant (n=135) over zoological environments (n=87). Notably, a substantial majority of published articles (>99%) achieved their initial research rationale, which represents a potential publication bias. To advance our understanding of enrichment welfare benefits and the specific relevance of individual enrichment methods to different primate species and taxa, a comprehensive meta-analysis incorporating all peer-reviewed primate enrichment research is crucial. Subsequent primate enrichment studies should prioritize the investigation of underrepresented enrichment categories, species, and environmental conditions, thus fostering a more comprehensive understanding of how environmental enrichment impacts primate welfare.
{"title":"Primate Enrichment Categories: A Literature Review of Current Trends","authors":"Samuel Richardson","doi":"10.26451/abc.11.01.06.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.11.01.06.2024","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental enrichment aims to enhance primate wellbeing by providing physical and mental stimuli to address the biological and psychological needs of individuals. However, lack of knowledge regarding the development of enrichment research hampers implementors and future inquiries. Therefore, a collection of data from 227 peer-reviewed and freely available articles on primate enrichment (published from 1978 to 2019) was performed to present enrichment trends and outcomes through descriptive statistics. Behavior was the most recorded parameter (n=203), whereas physiological data were reported less frequently (n=20). Feeding enrichment (n=87) and tactile enrichment (n=62) were the most investigated enrichment categories, while other categories, such as olfactory enrichment (n=5) gained less attention. A total of 71 primate species were recorded across zoological (n=57), laboratory (n=22), and unspecified (not stated) research settings (n=5), with laboratory environments being predominant (n=135) over zoological environments (n=87). Notably, a substantial majority of published articles (>99%) achieved their initial research rationale, which represents a potential publication bias. To advance our understanding of enrichment welfare benefits and the specific relevance of individual enrichment methods to different primate species and taxa, a comprehensive meta-analysis incorporating all peer-reviewed primate enrichment research is crucial. Subsequent primate enrichment studies should prioritize the investigation of underrepresented enrichment categories, species, and environmental conditions, thus fostering a more comprehensive understanding of how environmental enrichment impacts primate welfare.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"482 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140468195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.11.01.01.2024
Ian Whishaw, Megan Mah, Julia G. Casorso, E. Chacon, Janine Chalk-Wilayto, Myra Laird, Amanda Melin
Orienting a food item held in the hand to withdraw and optimally place it in the mouth for eating (withdraw-to-eat) is mediated by vision in catarrhine anthropoids and by nonvisual strategies in strepsirrhine primates. The present study asks whether vision contributes to the withdraw-to-eat movements in a platyrrhine anthropoid Cebus imitator, a member of a monophyletic primate suborder whose stem group diverged from catarrhines about 40 million years ago. Cebus imitator’s gaze and hand use for foraging for fruit is examined in its fine branch niche, the terminal branches of trees. Video of reach, grasp and withdraw-to-eat movements with associated gaze were examined frame-by-frame to assess food manipulation and its sensory control. Cebus imitator uses vision and touch to reach for and grasp food items with precision and whole hand grasps. They use vision to orient food items held in-hand into a precision grip and their withdraw-to-eat is assisted with a vertically oriented hand. The conjoint use of vision, a precision grasp, and hand posture and a central representation of object control likely originated in stem anthropoids and was derived from the staged evolution of the visual manipulation of food and other objects.
{"title":"The Platyrrhine Primate Cebus imitator Uses Gaze to Manipulate and Withdraw Food to the Mouth","authors":"Ian Whishaw, Megan Mah, Julia G. Casorso, E. Chacon, Janine Chalk-Wilayto, Myra Laird, Amanda Melin","doi":"10.26451/abc.11.01.01.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.11.01.01.2024","url":null,"abstract":"Orienting a food item held in the hand to withdraw and optimally place it in the mouth for eating (withdraw-to-eat) is mediated by vision in catarrhine anthropoids and by nonvisual strategies in strepsirrhine primates. The present study asks whether vision contributes to the withdraw-to-eat movements in a platyrrhine anthropoid Cebus imitator, a member of a monophyletic primate suborder whose stem group diverged from catarrhines about 40 million years ago. Cebus imitator’s gaze and hand use for foraging for fruit is examined in its fine branch niche, the terminal branches of trees. Video of reach, grasp and withdraw-to-eat movements with associated gaze were examined frame-by-frame to assess food manipulation and its sensory control. Cebus imitator uses vision and touch to reach for and grasp food items with precision and whole hand grasps. They use vision to orient food items held in-hand into a precision grip and their withdraw-to-eat is assisted with a vertically oriented hand. The conjoint use of vision, a precision grasp, and hand posture and a central representation of object control likely originated in stem anthropoids and was derived from the staged evolution of the visual manipulation of food and other objects.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"30 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140464169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.11.01.03.2024
Janka Plate, Daniela C. Rößler
The ability to recognize threats and to respond in a timely and appropriate manner carries significant benefits. Depending on the recognition task, this can be cognitively demanding. The zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) is capable of visually recognizing static predator stimuli and reacts via a robust “freeze and retreat,” a potentially innate response in this species. Here, we extend this finding, asking whether the ability of spiderlings to recognize a static predator and to initiate an escape response is common across juvenile salticids, and if so, whether there is species-specific variation of anti-predator responses. We found that captive-reared spiderlings of three European salticid species from different genera (Heliophanus cf. cupreus, Evarcha arcuata, Marpissa muscosa) were able to robustly recognize and retreat from a stationary predator stimulus. Additionally, we found differences in the reaction times between the species as well as different behavioral repertoires associated with the escape response which may reflect species-specific predator avoidance strategies.
{"title":"Variation in Predator Recognition Across Three Species of Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)","authors":"Janka Plate, Daniela C. Rößler","doi":"10.26451/abc.11.01.03.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.11.01.03.2024","url":null,"abstract":"The ability to recognize threats and to respond in a timely and appropriate manner carries significant benefits. Depending on the recognition task, this can be cognitively demanding. The zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) is capable of visually recognizing static predator stimuli and reacts via a robust “freeze and retreat,” a potentially innate response in this species. Here, we extend this finding, asking whether the ability of spiderlings to recognize a static predator and to initiate an escape response is common across juvenile salticids, and if so, whether there is species-specific variation of anti-predator responses. We found that captive-reared spiderlings of three European salticid species from different genera (Heliophanus cf. cupreus, Evarcha arcuata, Marpissa muscosa) were able to robustly recognize and retreat from a stationary predator stimulus. Additionally, we found differences in the reaction times between the species as well as different behavioral repertoires associated with the escape response which may reflect species-specific predator avoidance strategies.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"40 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139966855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.11.01.02.2024
Mikuho Yokoyama, Yuri Kawaguchi, Masaki Tomonaga
This study examined factors influencing the gap effect, a phenomenon where the saccadic latency is faster when the fixation point disappears than when it overlaps with the target. The gap effect has been used in basic attentional research, as well as in developmental, neurophysiological, and comparative research. This effect is found not only in oculomotor tasks but also in manual response tasks in humans. In this study, we conducted a gap-overlap task using manual spatially orienting responses in chimpanzees and examined several factors that influence this effect. The results confirmed the gap effect for manual orienting responses in chimpanzees. Response times for gap trials showed a floor effect at around the gap with 200 ms and more. The duration of the fixation point did not affect the gap effect, although it did affect the chimpanzees’ response times. The presence or absence of auditory stimuli at the fixation point offset did not affect the gap effect. We also analyzed the data from two geriatric individuals (51 years old) who participated in this study and confirmed the usefulness of this effect for studying comparative cognitive-aging studies. In a second task we examined attentional bias for infant faces, an effect which has been reported in humans. However, while a gap effect was observed overall, there was no significant difference in the gap effect among stimulus types.
{"title":"Gap Effect for Manual Responses in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Temporal Aspects of Attentional Disengagement, Cognitive aging, and the Test for Attentional Bias Toward Infant Faces","authors":"Mikuho Yokoyama, Yuri Kawaguchi, Masaki Tomonaga","doi":"10.26451/abc.11.01.02.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.11.01.02.2024","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined factors influencing the gap effect, a phenomenon where the saccadic latency is faster when the fixation point disappears than when it overlaps with the target. The gap effect has been used in basic attentional research, as well as in developmental, neurophysiological, and comparative research. This effect is found not only in oculomotor tasks but also in manual response tasks in humans. In this study, we conducted a gap-overlap task using manual spatially orienting responses in chimpanzees and examined several factors that influence this effect. The results confirmed the gap effect for manual orienting responses in chimpanzees. Response times for gap trials showed a floor effect at around the gap with 200 ms and more. The duration of the fixation point did not affect the gap effect, although it did affect the chimpanzees’ response times. The presence or absence of auditory stimuli at the fixation point offset did not affect the gap effect. We also analyzed the data from two geriatric individuals (51 years old) who participated in this study and confirmed the usefulness of this effect for studying comparative cognitive-aging studies. In a second task we examined attentional bias for infant faces, an effect which has been reported in humans. However, while a gap effect was observed overall, there was no significant difference in the gap effect among stimulus types.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140468323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.10.04.01.2023
Wojciech Pisula, K. Modlińska
This article comprehensively reviews our studies that analyzed novelty-related behaviors in rats. We developed and utilized techniques and equipment during these studies to ensure our findings' high ecological validity. We allowed rats to explore a testing apparatus freely, and after a long habituation phase consisting of multiple trials, we introduced non-emotionally arousing changes. The research shows that rats demonstrate enhanced abilities in processing and responding to heightened environmental complexity, as evidenced across various studies. Conversely, when environmental complexity diminishes, rats exhibit reduced exploratory behaviors and decreased cognitive effort despite the adaptive importance of such behaviors. Of particular interest is the observation that rats exhibit greater sensitivity to emerging opportunities in contrast to their limited responsiveness to diminishing ones, unveiling a novel facet of the animal mind that warrants further investigation. The influence of individual experiences before testing sessions on the processing of sensory input in terms of complexity is also determined. Our studies highlight the noteworthy impact of environmental unpredictability versus stability on cognitive development, affecting behaviors like food neophobia and exploration. Furthermore, the social environment during development holds wide-ranging implications for individual characteristics, necessitating continued research and refinement of our understanding in this domain. Moreover, the studies recognize strain and species differences in novelty-related behavior, primarily characterized by quantitative variations that do not overshadow the animals' coping strategies in response to environmental changes. Additionally, curiosity is portrayed as an active approach to seeking and processing environmental affordances, with exploratory behaviors fulfilling this cognitive and motivational need. The authors underscore the significance of ecological validity in test methodologies, particularly in designing environments that authentically invite and encourage pertinent behavioral responses. In summary, this research enhances our insight into rat cognition, underscores the role of curiosity, and underscores the imperative of ecological validity in experimental design, ultimately advancing our comprehension of animal behavior and cognition.
{"title":"Animals in Search of Stimulation and Information: A Review of over 10 years of our Research on Spontaneous Exploration in Rats as a Response to Novelty in Low-Stress Paradigm","authors":"Wojciech Pisula, K. Modlińska","doi":"10.26451/abc.10.04.01.2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.10.04.01.2023","url":null,"abstract":"This article comprehensively reviews our studies that analyzed novelty-related behaviors in rats. We developed and utilized techniques and equipment during these studies to ensure our findings' high ecological validity. We allowed rats to explore a testing apparatus freely, and after a long habituation phase consisting of multiple trials, we introduced non-emotionally arousing changes. The research shows that rats demonstrate enhanced abilities in processing and responding to heightened environmental complexity, as evidenced across various studies. Conversely, when environmental complexity diminishes, rats exhibit reduced exploratory behaviors and decreased cognitive effort despite the adaptive importance of such behaviors. Of particular interest is the observation that rats exhibit greater sensitivity to emerging opportunities in contrast to their limited responsiveness to diminishing ones, unveiling a novel facet of the animal mind that warrants further investigation. The influence of individual experiences before testing sessions on the processing of sensory input in terms of complexity is also determined. Our studies highlight the noteworthy impact of environmental unpredictability versus stability on cognitive development, affecting behaviors like food neophobia and exploration. Furthermore, the social environment during development holds wide-ranging implications for individual characteristics, necessitating continued research and refinement of our understanding in this domain. Moreover, the studies recognize strain and species differences in novelty-related behavior, primarily characterized by quantitative variations that do not overshadow the animals' coping strategies in response to environmental changes. Additionally, curiosity is portrayed as an active approach to seeking and processing environmental affordances, with exploratory behaviors fulfilling this cognitive and motivational need. The authors underscore the significance of ecological validity in test methodologies, particularly in designing environments that authentically invite and encourage pertinent behavioral responses. In summary, this research enhances our insight into rat cognition, underscores the role of curiosity, and underscores the imperative of ecological validity in experimental design, ultimately advancing our comprehension of animal behavior and cognition.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"161 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139291738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.10.04.04.2023
Courtney Sexton, Kelsey Lucca
The phenomenon of domesticated dogs looking to humans for information is ubiquitous, yet infrequently observed among other interspecies interactions. Dogs’ inclination to solicit information from humans is in large part a result of the two species’ shared social evolution and niche. Perhaps a more compelling aspect of this relationship is how dogs respond in the face of unexpected, uncertain, and/or novel cues from humans, from whom they frequently solicit information. The influence of human presence on canines’ curiosity about and engagement with their immediate environment is understudied, in part due to challenges in study design. SomeS of these challenges are common to working with and learning from babies of our own species. And, as dogs have developed many mental processes and behaviors similar to preverbal human infants, illuminating strategies for understanding curiosity in babies may prove useful in learning more about how dogs experience the world, with and without people.
{"title":"Canine Curiosity: What We Do and Don’t Know, and What Human Infants Could Teach Us","authors":"Courtney Sexton, Kelsey Lucca","doi":"10.26451/abc.10.04.04.2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.10.04.04.2023","url":null,"abstract":"The phenomenon of domesticated dogs looking to humans for information is ubiquitous, yet infrequently observed among other interspecies interactions. Dogs’ inclination to solicit information from humans is in large part a result of the two species’ shared social evolution and niche. Perhaps a more compelling aspect of this relationship is how dogs respond in the face of unexpected, uncertain, and/or novel cues from humans, from whom they frequently solicit information. The influence of human presence on canines’ curiosity about and engagement with their immediate environment is understudied, in part due to challenges in study design. SomeS of these challenges are common to working with and learning from babies of our own species. And, as dogs have developed many mental processes and behaviors similar to preverbal human infants, illuminating strategies for understanding curiosity in babies may prove useful in learning more about how dogs experience the world, with and without people.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139291752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.10.04.02.2023
Jackson Ham, Sergio Pellis
Like many mammals, rats frequently engage in play fighting as juveniles, an activity that influences the development of socio-cognitive skills. Most studies that assess play are based on staged dyadic encounters, implying that some average quantity and quality of play are sufficient to produce these developmental effects. However, there are individual differences, with some rats not only preferring to play more, but also to have more physical contact than others. Given that rats have individual differences in play, it raises the possibility that rats might express these preferences when playing in groups. To determine whether rats form partner preferences, trials were conducted in which a focal rat was given the opportunity to play with three partners of varying familiarity. One partner was a cage mate, another was housed on the other side of a transparent and perforated divider and so familiar, but not a prior play partner, and the third was a stranger from another cage. A total of 36 focal rats, between 30-36 days of age, were tested and video recorded in 20-minute trials following 2.5 h of social isolation. Focal rats expressed a preference for neighbors over both strangers and cage mates, indicating that balancing between familiarity and novelty influences social play partner preferences. Mechanisms by which this preference might have been established, such as dominance relationships, weight differences, and congruency of play style, were investigated, but none were correlated with the preferences expressed. This group dynamics perspective provides a novel approach to studying play, and more generally, provides insights into social exploration and decision-making.
{"title":"The Goldilocks Principle: Balancing Familiarity and Novelty in the Selection of Play Partners in Groups of Juvenile Male Rats","authors":"Jackson Ham, Sergio Pellis","doi":"10.26451/abc.10.04.02.2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.10.04.02.2023","url":null,"abstract":"Like many mammals, rats frequently engage in play fighting as juveniles, an activity that influences the development of socio-cognitive skills. Most studies that assess play are based on staged dyadic encounters, implying that some average quantity and quality of play are sufficient to produce these developmental effects. However, there are individual differences, with some rats not only preferring to play more, but also to have more physical contact than others. Given that rats have individual differences in play, it raises the possibility that rats might express these preferences when playing in groups. To determine whether rats form partner preferences, trials were conducted in which a focal rat was given the opportunity to play with three partners of varying familiarity. One partner was a cage mate, another was housed on the other side of a transparent and perforated divider and so familiar, but not a prior play partner, and the third was a stranger from another cage. A total of 36 focal rats, between 30-36 days of age, were tested and video recorded in 20-minute trials following 2.5 h of social isolation. Focal rats expressed a preference for neighbors over both strangers and cage mates, indicating that balancing between familiarity and novelty influences social play partner preferences. Mechanisms by which this preference might have been established, such as dominance relationships, weight differences, and congruency of play style, were investigated, but none were correlated with the preferences expressed. This group dynamics perspective provides a novel approach to studying play, and more generally, provides insights into social exploration and decision-making.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139292064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.26451/abc.10.03.03.2023
ManyDogs Project, Julia Espinosa, Jeffrey R. Stevens, Daniela Alberghina, Harley E. E. Alway, Jessica D. Barela, Michael Bogese, Emily E. Bray, Daphna Buchsbaum, Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere, Molly Byrne Byrne, Camila M. Cavalli, Leah M. Chaudoir, Courtney Collins-Pisano, Hunter J. DeBoer, Laura E. L. C. Douglas, Shany Dror, Marina V. Dzik, Beverly Ferguson, Laura Fisher, Hannah C. Fitzpatrick, Marianne S. Freeman, Shayla N. Frinton, Maeve K. Glover, Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, Joshua E. P. Goacher, Marta Golańska, C. N. Alexandrina Guran, Elizabeth Hare, Brian Hare, Mia Hickey, Daniel J. Horschler, Ludwig Huber, Hoi-Lam Jim, Angie M. Johnston, Juliane Kaminski, Debbie M. Kelly, Valerie A. Kuhlmeier, Lily Lassiter, Lucia Lazarowski, Jennifer Leighton-Birch, Evan L. MacLean, Kamila Maliszewska, Vito Marra, Lane I. Montgomery, Madison S. Murray, Emma K. Nelson, Ljerka Ostojić, Shennai G. Palermo, Anya E. Parks Russell, Madeline H. Pelgrim, Sarita D. Pellowe, Anna Reinholz, Laura A. Rial, Emily M. Richards, Miriam A. Ross, Liza G. Rothkoff, Hannah Salomons, Joelle K. Sanger, Laurie Santos, Angelina R. Schirle, Shania J. Shearer, Zachary A. Silver, Jessica M. Silverman, Andrea Sommese, Tiziana Srdoc, Hannah St. John-Mosse, Angelica C. Vega, Kata Vékony, Christoph J. Völter, Carolyn J. Walsh, Yasmin A. Worth, Lena M. I. Zipperling, Bianka Żołędziewska, Sarah G. Zylberfuden
To promote collaboration across canine science, address replicability issues, and advance open science practices within animal cognition, we have launched the ManyDogs consortium, modeled on similar ManyX projects in other fields. We aimed to create a collaborative network that (a) uses large, diverse samples to investigate and replicate findings, (b) promotes open science practices of pre-registering hypotheses, methods, and analysis plans, (c) investigates the influence of differences across populations and breeds, and (d) examines how different research methods and testing environments influence the robustness of results. Our first study combines a phenomenon that appears to be highly reliable—dogs’ ability to follow human pointing—with a question that remains controversial: do dogs interpret pointing as a social communicative gesture or as a simple associative cue? We collected data (N = 455) from 20 research sites on two conditions of a 2-alternative object choice task: (1) Ostensive (pointing to a baited cup after making eye-contact and saying the dog’s name); (2) Non-ostensive (pointing without eye-contact, after a throat-clearing auditory control cue). Comparing performance between conditions, while both were significantly above chance, there was no significant difference in dogs’ responses. This result was consistent across sites. Further, we found that dogs followed contralateral, momentary pointing at lower rates than has been reported in prior research, suggesting that there are limits to the robustness of point-following behavior: not all pointing styles are equally likely to elicit a response. Together, these findings underscore the important role of procedural details in study design and the broader need for replication studies in canine science.
{"title":"ManyDogs 1: A Multi-Lab Replication Study of Dogs’ Pointing Comprehension","authors":"ManyDogs Project, Julia Espinosa, Jeffrey R. Stevens, Daniela Alberghina, Harley E. E. Alway, Jessica D. Barela, Michael Bogese, Emily E. Bray, Daphna Buchsbaum, Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere, Molly Byrne Byrne, Camila M. Cavalli, Leah M. Chaudoir, Courtney Collins-Pisano, Hunter J. DeBoer, Laura E. L. C. Douglas, Shany Dror, Marina V. Dzik, Beverly Ferguson, Laura Fisher, Hannah C. Fitzpatrick, Marianne S. Freeman, Shayla N. Frinton, Maeve K. Glover, Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, Joshua E. P. Goacher, Marta Golańska, C. N. Alexandrina Guran, Elizabeth Hare, Brian Hare, Mia Hickey, Daniel J. Horschler, Ludwig Huber, Hoi-Lam Jim, Angie M. Johnston, Juliane Kaminski, Debbie M. Kelly, Valerie A. Kuhlmeier, Lily Lassiter, Lucia Lazarowski, Jennifer Leighton-Birch, Evan L. MacLean, Kamila Maliszewska, Vito Marra, Lane I. Montgomery, Madison S. Murray, Emma K. Nelson, Ljerka Ostojić, Shennai G. Palermo, Anya E. Parks Russell, Madeline H. Pelgrim, Sarita D. Pellowe, Anna Reinholz, Laura A. Rial, Emily M. Richards, Miriam A. Ross, Liza G. Rothkoff, Hannah Salomons, Joelle K. Sanger, Laurie Santos, Angelina R. Schirle, Shania J. Shearer, Zachary A. Silver, Jessica M. Silverman, Andrea Sommese, Tiziana Srdoc, Hannah St. John-Mosse, Angelica C. Vega, Kata Vékony, Christoph J. Völter, Carolyn J. Walsh, Yasmin A. Worth, Lena M. I. Zipperling, Bianka Żołędziewska, Sarah G. Zylberfuden","doi":"10.26451/abc.10.03.03.2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.10.03.03.2023","url":null,"abstract":"To promote collaboration across canine science, address replicability issues, and advance open science practices within animal cognition, we have launched the ManyDogs consortium, modeled on similar ManyX projects in other fields. We aimed to create a collaborative network that (a) uses large, diverse samples to investigate and replicate findings, (b) promotes open science practices of pre-registering hypotheses, methods, and analysis plans, (c) investigates the influence of differences across populations and breeds, and (d) examines how different research methods and testing environments influence the robustness of results. Our first study combines a phenomenon that appears to be highly reliable—dogs’ ability to follow human pointing—with a question that remains controversial: do dogs interpret pointing as a social communicative gesture or as a simple associative cue? We collected data (N = 455) from 20 research sites on two conditions of a 2-alternative object choice task: (1) Ostensive (pointing to a baited cup after making eye-contact and saying the dog’s name); (2) Non-ostensive (pointing without eye-contact, after a throat-clearing auditory control cue). Comparing performance between conditions, while both were significantly above chance, there was no significant difference in dogs’ responses. This result was consistent across sites. Further, we found that dogs followed contralateral, momentary pointing at lower rates than has been reported in prior research, suggesting that there are limits to the robustness of point-following behavior: not all pointing styles are equally likely to elicit a response. Together, these findings underscore the important role of procedural details in study design and the broader need for replication studies in canine science.","PeriodicalId":31700,"journal":{"name":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136299721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：