Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.01.01
K. Dudzinski, Heather M. Hill, M. Botero
Cross-species comparisons are benefited by compatible datasets; conclusions related to phylogenetic comparisons, questions on convergent and divergent evolution, or homologs versus analogs can only be made when the behaviors being measured are comparable. A direct comparison of the social function of physical contact across two disparate taxa is possible only if data collection and analyses methodologies are analogous. We identify and discuss the parameters, assumptions and measurement schemes applicable to multiple taxa and species that facilitate cross-species comparisons. To illustrate our proposed guidelines for evaluating the role played by tactile contact in social behavior across disparate taxa, this paper presents data on mother-offspring relationships in the two species studied by the authors: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and dolphins (bottlenose and spotted, Tursiops truncatus and Stenella frontalis, respectively). Cross-species comparative studies allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the similarities and differences with respect to how animals traverse the relationships that form their social groups and societies.
{"title":"Methodological Considerations for Comparison of Cross-species Use of Tactile Contact","authors":"K. Dudzinski, Heather M. Hill, M. Botero","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.01.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.01.01","url":null,"abstract":"Cross-species comparisons are benefited by compatible datasets; conclusions related to phylogenetic comparisons, questions on convergent and divergent evolution, or homologs versus analogs can only be made when the behaviors being measured are comparable. A direct comparison of the social function of physical contact across two disparate taxa is possible only if data collection and analyses methodologies are analogous. We identify and discuss the parameters, assumptions and measurement schemes applicable to multiple taxa and species that facilitate cross-species comparisons. To illustrate our proposed guidelines for evaluating the role played by tactile contact in social behavior across disparate taxa, this paper presents data on mother-offspring relationships in the two species studied by the authors: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and dolphins (bottlenose and spotted, Tursiops truncatus and Stenella frontalis, respectively). Cross-species comparative studies allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the similarities and differences with respect to how animals traverse the relationships that form their social groups and societies.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621514","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.10
Kelly L. Kraus, V. Pellis, S. Pellis
Play fighting in many species involves partners competing to bite one another while avoiding being bitten. Species can differ in the body targets that are bitten and the tactics used to attack and defend those targets. However, even closely related species that attack and defend the same body target using the same tactics can differ markedly in how much the competitiveness of such interactions is mitigated by cooperation. A degree of cooperation is necessary to ensure that some turn-taking between the roles of attacker and defender occurs, as this is critical in preventing play fighting from escalating into serious fighting. In the present study, the dyadic play fighting of captive troops of 4 closely related species of Old World monkeys, 2 each from 2 genera of Papio and Mandrillus, was analyzed. All 4 species have a comparable social organization, are large bodied with considerable sexual dimorphism, and are mostly terrestrial. In all species, the target of biting is the same – the area encompassing the upper arm, shoulder, and side of the neck – and they have the same tactics of attack and defense. However, the Papio species exhibit more cooperation in their play than do the Mandrillus species, with the former using tactics that make biting easier to attain and that facilitate close bodily contact. It is possible that species differences in how rigidly dominance relationships are maintained are expressed in the play of juveniles by altering the balance between competition and cooperation.
{"title":"Targets, Tactics, and Cooperation in the Play Fighting of Two Genera of Old World Monkeys (Mandrillus and Papio):Accounting for Similarities and Differences","authors":"Kelly L. Kraus, V. Pellis, S. Pellis","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.10","url":null,"abstract":"Play fighting in many species involves partners competing to bite one another while avoiding being bitten. Species can differ in the body targets that are bitten and the tactics used to attack and defend those targets. However, even closely related species that attack and defend the same body target using the same tactics can differ markedly in how much the competitiveness of such interactions is mitigated by cooperation. A degree of cooperation is necessary to ensure that some turn-taking between the roles of attacker and defender occurs, as this is critical in preventing play fighting from escalating into serious fighting. In the present study, the dyadic play fighting of captive troops of 4 closely related species of Old World monkeys, 2 each from 2 genera of Papio and Mandrillus, was analyzed. All 4 species have a comparable social organization, are large bodied with considerable sexual dimorphism, and are mostly terrestrial. In all species, the target of biting is the same – the area encompassing the upper arm, shoulder, and side of the neck – and they have the same tactics of attack and defense. However, the Papio species exhibit more cooperation in their play than do the Mandrillus species, with the former using tactics that make biting easier to attain and that facilitate close bodily contact. It is possible that species differences in how rigidly dominance relationships are maintained are expressed in the play of juveniles by altering the balance between competition and cooperation.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621637","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.14
B. Wechsler
Investigations in the cognitive abilities of different animal species and children at different ages have revealed that consciousness comes in degrees. In this review, I will first address four cognitive abilities that are important to discriminate levels of consciousness: mirror self-recognition, theory of mind, mental time travel, and the capacity to entertain secondary representations. I will then examine putative relations between these abilities and assign them to three levels of consciousness (anoetic, noetic, autonoetic). Finally, I will discuss the implications of differences in consciousness for the understanding of behavioral organization in animals and humans and for animal welfare science. I will argue that, on one hand, implicit behavioral rules may account for results obtained in research on theory of mind and mental time travel abilities in animals and children. On the other hand, secondary representations may be the key to explain behaviors based on semantic memory as well as semantic future planning abilities observed in great apes and young children. These considerations are in accordance with the view that an explicit theory of mind and a continuous self through time are unique to humans.
{"title":"Three Levels of Consciousness: A Pattern in Phylogeny and Human Ontogeny","authors":"B. Wechsler","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.14","url":null,"abstract":"Investigations in the cognitive abilities of different animal species and children at different ages have revealed that consciousness comes in degrees. In this review, I will first address four cognitive abilities that are important to discriminate levels of consciousness: mirror self-recognition, theory of mind, mental time travel, and the capacity to entertain secondary representations. I will then examine putative relations between these abilities and assign them to three levels of consciousness (anoetic, noetic, autonoetic). Finally, I will discuss the implications of differences in consciousness for the understanding of behavioral organization in animals and humans and for animal welfare science. I will argue that, on one hand, implicit behavioral rules may account for results obtained in research on theory of mind and mental time travel abilities in animals and children. On the other hand, secondary representations may be the key to explain behaviors based on semantic memory as well as semantic future planning abilities observed in great apes and young children. These considerations are in accordance with the view that an explicit theory of mind and a continuous self through time are unique to humans.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621759","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.07
Jesse G Leinwand, Sarah F. Brosnan
Change blindness is a phenomenon in which individuals fail to detect seemingly obvious changes in their visual fields. Like humans, several animal species have also been shown to exhibit change blindness; however, no species of New World monkey has been tested to date. Nine capuchins (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) were trained to select whether or not a stimulus changed on a computerized task. In four phases of testing, consisting of full image changes, subtle occlusion changes, and two levels of feature location changes, the search display and mask durations were systematically varied to determine whether capuchins experienced change blindness and in what contexts. Only the full image change test yielded significant results, with subjects detecting changes most accurately with longer search displays and, perplexingly, least accurately when there was no mask. No interactions between search display and mask durations were found in any test phase, suggesting that the relationship between the two parameters may not be important to how capuchins perceive changes. While it is possible that capuchins do not experience change blindness, we suspect that a mix of experimental design, the difficulty of the task, and the inability to verify how closely the subjects attended to each trial contributed to the lack of significant results
{"title":"Capuchin (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) Change Detection","authors":"Jesse G Leinwand, Sarah F. Brosnan","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.07","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.07","url":null,"abstract":"Change blindness is a phenomenon in which individuals fail to detect seemingly obvious changes in their visual fields. Like humans, several animal species have also been shown to exhibit change blindness; however, no species of New World monkey has been tested to date. Nine capuchins (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) were trained to select whether or not a stimulus changed on a computerized task. In four phases of testing, consisting of full image changes, subtle occlusion changes, and two levels of feature location changes, the search display and mask durations were systematically varied to determine whether capuchins experienced change blindness and in what contexts. Only the full image change test yielded significant results, with subjects detecting changes most accurately with longer search displays and, perplexingly, least accurately when there was no mask. No interactions between search display and mask durations were found in any test phase, suggesting that the relationship between the two parameters may not be important to how capuchins perceive changes. While it is possible that capuchins do not experience change blindness, we suspect that a mix of experimental design, the difficulty of the task, and the inability to verify how closely the subjects attended to each trial contributed to the lack of significant results","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621810","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.16
Luis Alfaro, Federico Sanabria, Rosalva Cabrera
The distribution of foraging strategies and associated activities of Wistar rats was examined, with food outcomes presented in small vs. large units. Groups of 4 rats foraged for food in a 4 x 3 array of covered holes, some containing 4 g of food. For some groups, food consisted of shelled sunflower seeds (small units); for other groups, food consisted of 3 pellets of chow (large units). Foraging strategies were classified as either production (seeking patches with food) or scrounging (tracking conspecifics). Production strategies were more common among groups that foraged for pellets instead of seeds. Producing food was highly correlated with contacting gates covering holes, whereas scrounging for food was highly correlated with following others in the group. The prevalence of activities associated with each foraging strategy was highly correlated with the proportion of time spent consuming food obtained from each activity (i.e., produced vs. scrounged food). Taken together, these findings suggest that, similar to other species, the finder’s advantage (low with small units, high with large units) modulates social foraging strategies in rats. A simple outcome-strategy feedback mechanism appears to mediate this modulation.
{"title":"The Role of Outcome Unit Size in the Social Foraging Strategies of Rats","authors":"Luis Alfaro, Federico Sanabria, Rosalva Cabrera","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.16","url":null,"abstract":"The distribution of foraging strategies and associated activities of Wistar rats was examined, with food outcomes presented in small vs. large units. Groups of 4 rats foraged for food in a 4 x 3 array of covered holes, some containing 4 g of food. For some groups, food consisted of shelled sunflower seeds (small units); for other groups, food consisted of 3 pellets of chow (large units). Foraging strategies were classified as either production (seeking patches with food) or scrounging (tracking conspecifics). Production strategies were more common among groups that foraged for pellets instead of seeds. Producing food was highly correlated with contacting gates covering holes, whereas scrounging for food was highly correlated with following others in the group. The prevalence of activities associated with each foraging strategy was highly correlated with the proportion of time spent consuming food obtained from each activity (i.e., produced vs. scrounged food). Taken together, these findings suggest that, similar to other species, the finder’s advantage (low with small units, high with large units) modulates social foraging strategies in rats. A simple outcome-strategy feedback mechanism appears to mediate this modulation.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621843","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.02.01
Shauna McBride-Kebert, Jessica S. Taylor, K. A. Wilkinson, H. Lyn, F. Moore, D. Sacco, B. Kar, S. Kuczaj
Understanding how habitat characteristics influence common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, distribution and behavior can be useful for conservation. The dolphin community in Roanoke Sound, North Carolina primarily exhibits seasonal residency and there is limited information on their habitat use. The objectives of this study were to increase habitat use knowledge and determine the relationship between habitat characteristics and dolphin distribution using standardized photographic-identification data (2009 – 2017). A hot spot (Getis-Ord Gi*) analysis showed dolphins frequently use the southern region containing the mouth of the estuary for feeding and traveling. Habitat characteristics were modeled with zero-altered gamma (ZAG), generalized linear (GLM), and generalized additive (GAM) models to predict dolphin group density. Models showed that groups were more likely to be present in areas with greater benthic slope variation and shallow areas closer to land, and that different habitat characteristics were associated with feed, social, and travel activities. This study suggests that Roanoke Sound provides a seasonal foraging area and travel corridor between the estuaries and coastal waters. This information contributes baseline knowledge of how habitat potentially influences dolphin distribution and behavior which can be useful for management and conservation, especially in areas where habitat changes and impacts need to be assessed.
{"title":"Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, SeasonalHabitat Use and Associations with Habitat Characteristics inRoanoke Sound, North Carolina","authors":"Shauna McBride-Kebert, Jessica S. Taylor, K. A. Wilkinson, H. Lyn, F. Moore, D. Sacco, B. Kar, S. Kuczaj","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.02.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.02.01","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding how habitat characteristics influence common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, distribution and behavior can be useful for conservation. The dolphin community in Roanoke Sound, North Carolina primarily exhibits seasonal residency and there is limited information on their habitat use. The objectives of this study were to increase habitat use knowledge and determine the relationship between habitat characteristics and dolphin distribution using standardized photographic-identification data (2009 – 2017). A hot spot (Getis-Ord Gi*) analysis showed dolphins frequently use the southern region containing the mouth of the estuary for feeding and traveling. Habitat characteristics were modeled with zero-altered gamma (ZAG), generalized linear (GLM), and generalized additive (GAM) models to predict dolphin group density. Models showed that groups were more likely to be present in areas with greater benthic slope variation and shallow areas closer to land, and that different habitat characteristics were associated with feed, social, and travel activities. This study suggests that Roanoke Sound provides a seasonal foraging area and travel corridor between the estuaries and coastal waters. This information contributes baseline knowledge of how habitat potentially influences dolphin distribution and behavior which can be useful for management and conservation, especially in areas where habitat changes and impacts need to be assessed.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70622121","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.03.01
M. Commons, P. Miller, Simran Malhotra, Shutong Wei
Neural Networks may be made much faster and more efficient by reducing the amount of memory and computation used. In this paper, a new type of neural network called an Adaptive Neural Network is introduced. The proposed neural network is comprised of five unique pairings of events. Each pairing is a module and the modules are connected within a single neural network. The pairings are a simulation of respondent conditioning. The simulations do not necessarily represent conditioning in actual organisms. In the theory presented here, the pairings in respondent conditioning become aggregated together to form a basis for operant conditioning. The specific pairings are as follows. The first pairing is between the reinforcer and the neural stimulus that elicits the behavior. This pairing strengthens and makes salient that eliciting neural stimulus. The second pairing is that of the now salient neural stimulus with the external environmental stimulus that precedes the operant behavior. The third is the pairing of the environmental stimulus event with the reinforcing stimulus. The fourth is the pairing of the stimulus elicited by the drive with the reinforcement event, changing the strength of the reinforcer. The fifth pairing is that after repeated exposure the external environmental stimulus is paired with the drive stimulus. This drive stimulus is generated by an intensifying drive. Within each module, a “0” means no occurrence of a pairing A of Stimuli A and a “1” means an occurrence of a pairing A of Stimuli A. Similarly, a “0” means no occurrence of a pairing Band a “1” means an occurrence of a pairing B, and so on for all 5 pairings. To obtain an output one multiplies the values of pairings through E. In one trial or instance, all 5 pairings will occur. The results of the multiplications are then accumulated and divided by the number of instances. The use of these simple respondent pairings as a basis for neural networks reduces errors. Examples of problems that may be addressable by such networks are included.
{"title":"Adaptive Neural Networks Accounted for by Five Instances of “Respondent-Based” Conditioning","authors":"M. Commons, P. Miller, Simran Malhotra, Shutong Wei","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.03.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.03.01","url":null,"abstract":"Neural Networks may be made much faster and more efficient by reducing the amount of memory and computation used. In this paper, a new type of neural network called an Adaptive Neural Network is introduced. The proposed neural network is comprised of five unique pairings of events. Each pairing is a module and the modules are connected within a single neural network. The pairings are a simulation of respondent conditioning. The simulations do not necessarily represent conditioning in actual organisms. In the theory presented here, the pairings in respondent conditioning become aggregated together to form a basis for operant conditioning. The specific pairings are as follows. The first pairing is between the reinforcer and the neural stimulus that elicits the behavior. This pairing strengthens and makes salient that eliciting neural stimulus. The second pairing is that of the now salient neural stimulus with the external environmental stimulus that precedes the operant behavior. The third is the pairing of the environmental stimulus event with the reinforcing stimulus. The fourth is the pairing of the stimulus elicited by the drive with the reinforcement event, changing the strength of the reinforcer. The fifth pairing is that after repeated exposure the external environmental stimulus is paired with the drive stimulus. This drive stimulus is generated by an intensifying drive. Within each module, a “0” means no occurrence of a pairing A of Stimuli A and a “1” means an occurrence of a pairing A of Stimuli A. Similarly, a “0” means no occurrence of a pairing Band a “1” means an occurrence of a pairing B, and so on for all 5 pairings. To obtain an output one multiplies the values of pairings through E. In one trial or instance, all 5 pairings will occur. The results of the multiplications are then accumulated and divided by the number of instances. The use of these simple respondent pairings as a basis for neural networks reduces errors. Examples of problems that may be addressable by such networks are included.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70622341","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.08
Agathe Serres, Y. Hao, Ding Wang
The number of welfare-oriented studies is increasing in animals under human care, including odontocetes. However, validated welfare indicators are lacking for captive odontocetes. We studied the effect of several conditions (moment of the day, social grouping, public presence) and stimuli (enrichment, perturbations) on the solitary behaviour of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), East-Asian finless porpoises (N. a. sunameri) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The frequency of solitary play increased in the three groups in positive conditions and decreased in negative contexts, which confirms that play is a useful indicator of welfare for captive odontocetes. Jumping seem to be indicative of stress for finless porpoises but could be ambiguous for bottlenose dolphins: indicating both positive and negative excitation. Stereotypical behaviours for Yangtze finless porpoises and environment hitting behaviours for bottlenose dolphins could indicate mild stress or frustration. Vigilant behaviours are not clear indicators since a high frequency could reflect boredom, but a low frequency was observed in poor social conditions. Finally, we suggest that environmental rubbing should be investigated further since our results for this behaviour were not clear.
{"title":"The Frequency of Solitary Behaviors in Captive Odontocetesis Modulated by Environmental and Social Factors","authors":"Agathe Serres, Y. Hao, Ding Wang","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.08","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.08","url":null,"abstract":"The number of welfare-oriented studies is increasing in animals under human care, including odontocetes. However, validated welfare indicators are lacking for captive odontocetes. We studied the effect of several conditions (moment of the day, social grouping, public presence) and stimuli (enrichment, perturbations) on the solitary behaviour of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), East-Asian finless porpoises (N. a. sunameri) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The frequency of solitary play increased in the three groups in positive conditions and decreased in negative contexts, which confirms that play is a useful indicator of welfare for captive odontocetes. Jumping seem to be indicative of stress for finless porpoises but could be ambiguous for bottlenose dolphins: indicating both positive and negative excitation. Stereotypical behaviours for Yangtze finless porpoises and environment hitting behaviours for bottlenose dolphins could indicate mild stress or frustration. Vigilant behaviours are not clear indicators since a high frequency could reflect boredom, but a low frequency was observed in poor social conditions. Finally, we suggest that environmental rubbing should be investigated further since our results for this behaviour were not clear.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621497","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.03.02
Benjamin M. Seitz, A. Blaisdell, Cody P Polack, Ralph R. Miller
Deeply rooted within the history of experimental psychology is the search for general laws of learning that hold across tasks and species. Central to this enterprise has been the notion of equipotentiality; that any two events have the same likelihood of being associated with one another as any other pair of events. Much work, generally summarized as ‘biological constraints on learning,’ has challenged this view, and demonstrates pre-existing relations between cues and outcomes, based on genes and prior experience, that influence potential associability. Learning theorists and comparative psychologists have thus recognized the need to consider how the evolutionary history as well as prior experience of the organism being studied influences its ability to learn about and navigate its environment. We suggest that current models of human memory, and human memory research in general, lack sufficient consideration of how human evolution has shaped human memory systems. We review several findings that suggest the human memory system preferentially processes information relevant to biological fitness, and highlight potential theoretical and applied benefits afforded by adopting this functionalist perspective.
{"title":"The Role of Biological Significance in Human Learning and Memory","authors":"Benjamin M. Seitz, A. Blaisdell, Cody P Polack, Ralph R. Miller","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.03.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.03.02","url":null,"abstract":"Deeply rooted within the history of experimental psychology is the search for general laws of learning that hold across tasks and species. Central to this enterprise has been the notion of equipotentiality; that any two events have the same likelihood of being associated with one another as any other pair of events. Much work, generally summarized as ‘biological constraints on learning,’ has challenged this view, and demonstrates pre-existing relations between cues and outcomes, based on genes and prior experience, that influence potential associability. Learning theorists and comparative psychologists have thus recognized the need to consider how the evolutionary history as well as prior experience of the organism being studied influences its ability to learn about and navigate its environment. We suggest that current models of human memory, and human memory research in general, lack sufficient consideration of how human evolution has shaped human memory systems. We review several findings that suggest the human memory system preferentially processes information relevant to biological fitness, and highlight potential theoretical and applied benefits afforded by adopting this functionalist perspective.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70622353","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 : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.01
S. Bergren, C. Latino, Christopher A Varnon, C. Abramson
The purpose of this project was to create a device to detect infrasound communication from elephants. The device was designed and prototyped to be capable of monitoring an input signal for infrasound. If infrasound is detected, an audible alarm is sounded. This device can record audio signals for long periods of time to a digital storage device. It can be utilized for other areas of study with some modification. For example, by selecting appropriate sensors the device can be used for studying vibrations in structures. The device is low-cost so it would be able to be procured more easily and in higher quantities than more expensive and cumbersome laboratory monitoring equipment. This device could also be used as an educational and research device for students studying animal behavior in the field and laboratory. Infrasound is not limited to only elephants, but hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses and giraffes also communicate with infrasound. Environmental infrasound from sources such as wind turbines, sonic booms, explosions, tornadoes, and earthquakes can also be monitored.
{"title":"A Portable System for Detecting Infrasound Using a Microcontroller","authors":"S. Bergren, C. Latino, Christopher A Varnon, C. Abramson","doi":"10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.00.01","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this project was to create a device to detect infrasound communication from elephants. The device was designed and prototyped to be capable of monitoring an input signal for infrasound. If infrasound is detected, an audible alarm is sounded. This device can record audio signals for long periods of time to a digital storage device. It can be utilized for other areas of study with some modification. For example, by selecting appropriate sensors the device can be used for studying vibrations in structures. The device is low-cost so it would be able to be procured more easily and in higher quantities than more expensive and cumbersome laboratory monitoring equipment. This device could also be used as an educational and research device for students studying animal behavior in the field and laboratory. Infrasound is not limited to only elephants, but hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses and giraffes also communicate with infrasound. Environmental infrasound from sources such as wind turbines, sonic booms, explosions, tornadoes, and earthquakes can also be monitored.","PeriodicalId":39712,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Comparative Psychology","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70621287","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}