Pub Date : 2025-03-24DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105178
Mario Penna , Rigoberto Solís , Felipe N. Moreno-Gómez
Evoked vocal responses of male frogs are quite selective for temporal features contained in conspecific calls. However, responses to sound features not contained in natural vocalizations can also elicit evoked calling, indicating a relative broadness of acoustic recognition spaces. Former studies have shown that Batrachyla leptopus, a frog from the South American temperate forest, responds with calls of potential aggressive content to synthetic stimuli containing elements of such signals and also to novel signal features. The current study explores the vocal responsiveness to signals of diverse temporal structure under realistic conditions of stimulus broadcast, employing presentation rates observed in alternating interactions between pairs of males. The results show that aggressive patterns of response, measured as increased call duration, are specially consistent in exposures to stimuli of novel design, not related to natural vocalizations. These results stress the relevance of hidden recognition preferences, pre-existent perceptual biases and related processes to account for the extant acoustic responsiveness of sound communicating animals, contributing to assess the relevance of aggressive signaling patterns for the evolution of sound communication in anurans
{"title":"Responsiveness to sound temporal features at realistic signal presentation rates in a temperate austral forest frog, Batrachyla leptopus (Batrachylidae)","authors":"Mario Penna , Rigoberto Solís , Felipe N. Moreno-Gómez","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Evoked vocal responses of male frogs are quite selective for temporal features contained in conspecific calls. However, responses to sound features not contained in natural vocalizations can also elicit evoked calling, indicating a relative broadness of acoustic recognition spaces. Former studies have shown that <em>Batrachyla leptopus</em>, a frog from the South American temperate forest, responds with calls of potential aggressive content to synthetic stimuli containing elements of such signals and also to novel signal features. The current study explores the vocal responsiveness to signals of diverse temporal structure under realistic conditions of stimulus broadcast, employing presentation rates observed in alternating interactions between pairs of males. The results show that aggressive patterns of response, measured as increased call duration, are specially consistent in exposures to stimuli of novel design, not related to natural vocalizations. These results stress the relevance of hidden recognition preferences, pre-existent perceptual biases and related processes to account for the extant acoustic responsiveness of sound communicating animals, contributing to assess the relevance of aggressive signaling patterns for the evolution of sound communication in anurans</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105178"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105187
Sadahiko Nakajima, Iho Hasegawa, Maria Nakao, Ai Tanaka, Madoka Abe, Mengwei Li
It is well documented that rats learn to avoid a taste solution consumed immediately before voluntary running in activity wheels, which represents a form of Pavlovian aversive conditioning based on the taste-running association. Although various behavioral phenomena observed in typical Pavlovian preparations, such as fear conditioning, have also been demonstrated in this setup, evidence of the associative blocking effect is limited. The present study aimed to demonstrate this effect, and the first experiment provided some positive evidence. Conditioning rats with serial presentations of two taste solutions followed by an opportunity to run (A → B → running) resulted in reduced aversion to taste A if the rats had prior experience of running after consuming B (B → running), suggesting that the previously established B-running association blocked the A-running association. However, subsequent experiments failed to yield statistically reliable results, raising questions about the robustness of the blocking effect on running-based taste aversion learning.
{"title":"The elusive nature of forward blocking effect on running-based taste aversion learning in laboratory rats","authors":"Sadahiko Nakajima, Iho Hasegawa, Maria Nakao, Ai Tanaka, Madoka Abe, Mengwei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is well documented that rats learn to avoid a taste solution consumed immediately before voluntary running in activity wheels, which represents a form of Pavlovian aversive conditioning based on the taste-running association. Although various behavioral phenomena observed in typical Pavlovian preparations, such as fear conditioning, have also been demonstrated in this setup, evidence of the associative blocking effect is limited. The present study aimed to demonstrate this effect, and the first experiment provided some positive evidence. Conditioning rats with serial presentations of two taste solutions followed by an opportunity to run (A → B → running) resulted in reduced aversion to taste A if the rats had prior experience of running after consuming B (B → running), suggesting that the previously established B-running association blocked the A-running association. However, subsequent experiments failed to yield statistically reliable results, raising questions about the robustness of the blocking effect on running-based taste aversion learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105187"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-17DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105186
Noëlle Gunst , Jean-Baptiste Leca , Paul L. Vasey
While most reports of intra-sexual mate selection occur in the reproductive context of heterosexual interactions, this study aims to explore the behavioral mechanisms and evolutionary significance of a few rare cases of intra-sexual competition during triadic female homosexual relationships in a non-human primate species. Focusing on a population of Japanese macaques known for their routine female homosexual activity, we provide the first detailed quantitative description of three instances of female homosexual triads. These triads are characterized as the spatio-temporal overlap between two dyadic but non-exclusive female homosexual relationships, with the pivot female switching her sexual attention towards a new mate, while her initial sexual partner persists in sexually soliciting the pivot female and tries to chase the female competitor away. We documented the intra-sexual competition that may result from differing levels of sexual attraction among three female protagonists involved in each triad. We presented morphological, behavioral, and socio-demographic evidence in support of the sexual nature of such interactions, which is consistent with the “bisexual preference hypothesis”. We speculated on the proximate causes of this unusual phenomenon.
{"title":"Same-sex love triangles in female monkeys: Intra-sexual mate competition between female Japanese macaques for female sexual partners","authors":"Noëlle Gunst , Jean-Baptiste Leca , Paul L. Vasey","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While most reports of intra-sexual mate selection occur in the reproductive context of heterosexual interactions, this study aims to explore the behavioral mechanisms and evolutionary significance of a few rare cases of intra-sexual competition during triadic female homosexual relationships in a non-human primate species. Focusing on a population of Japanese macaques known for their routine female homosexual activity, we provide the first detailed quantitative description of three instances of female homosexual triads. These triads are characterized as the spatio-temporal overlap between two dyadic but non-exclusive female homosexual relationships, with the pivot female switching her sexual attention towards a new mate, while her initial sexual partner persists in sexually soliciting the pivot female and tries to chase the female competitor away. We documented the intra-sexual competition that may result from differing levels of sexual attraction among three female protagonists involved in each triad. We presented morphological, behavioral, and socio-demographic evidence in support of the sexual nature of such interactions, which is consistent with the “bisexual preference hypothesis”. We speculated on the proximate causes of this unusual phenomenon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105186"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-16DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105177
Julia L. Self , Ron R. Togunov , Mark A. Edwards , Andrew E. Derocher
Odours are emitted from organic matter and can contain important information about an animal’s surroundings, including the presence and location of other organisms. Wind acts as a conduit of olfactory information, affecting the spread and direction of odour dispersal across terrestrial landscapes. To increase the likelihood of detecting an odour molecule, individuals may exhibit anemotaxis – orientation bias to wind during movement – where the theoretical optimal olfactory search strategy is to move crosswind. We tested for biased movement relative to wind in Arctic grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) during the spring hypophagic period in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada using modelled winds and satellite-linked telemetry data (n = 12,430 locations) from 40 Arctic grizzly bears monitored between 2003 and 2010. Our results show that orientation relative to wind varied with movement rate, a proxy for active search effort. During steps where bears had high movement rates (> 90th percentile), bears predominantly oriented crosswind. We also found a positive relationship between movement rate and crosswind orientation: as bears moved faster, they increased their crosswind component of orientation. These results suggest an adaptive pattern of movement in response to wind, where bears oriented relative to the wind in a way that increased the likelihood of odour detection during active search. We suggest that future studies could include wind data in habitat selection and foraging models to examine its influence on habitat selection and use.
{"title":"Influence of wind on movement behaviour in Arctic grizzly bears","authors":"Julia L. Self , Ron R. Togunov , Mark A. Edwards , Andrew E. Derocher","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Odours are emitted from organic matter and can contain important information about an animal’s surroundings, including the presence and location of other organisms. Wind acts as a conduit of olfactory information, affecting the spread and direction of odour dispersal across terrestrial landscapes. To increase the likelihood of detecting an odour molecule, individuals may exhibit anemotaxis – orientation bias to wind during movement – where the theoretical optimal olfactory search strategy is to move crosswind. We tested for biased movement relative to wind in Arctic grizzly bears (<em>Ursus arctos</em>) during the spring hypophagic period in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada using modelled winds and satellite-linked telemetry data (n = 12,430 locations) from 40 Arctic grizzly bears monitored between 2003 and 2010. Our results show that orientation relative to wind varied with movement rate, a proxy for active search effort. During steps where bears had high movement rates (> 90th percentile), bears predominantly oriented crosswind. We also found a positive relationship between movement rate and crosswind orientation: as bears moved faster, they increased their crosswind component of orientation. These results suggest an adaptive pattern of movement in response to wind, where bears oriented relative to the wind in a way that increased the likelihood of odour detection during active search. We suggest that future studies could include wind data in habitat selection and foraging models to examine its influence on habitat selection and use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105177"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-13DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105175
Carlos J. Flores , L. Rebeca Mateos , Kenneth D. Madrigal , Cinthia M. Hernandez , Julian C. Velasquez
This experiment assessed the effects of a timeout (TO) contingency for target responding during treatment, on the development of resurgence. Rats were exposed to a two-component multiple schedule (VI 30-s VI 30-s) across three phases. In the first phase, target lever presses were reinforced in both components. During the second phase, alternative lever presses were reinforced while target responses were either placed on extinction in one component or followed by a 30-s TO in the other. In the final test phase, when alternative responding was also placed on extinction, greater resurgence of the target response was observed in the extinction component compared to the TO component. These findings suggest that timeout may be an effective procedure for mitigating resurgence. Further research is warranted to examine how variables such as timeout duration and reinforcement frequency influence its aversiveness and effectiveness in reducing resurgence.
本实验评估了治疗过程中目标反应超时（TO）应急措施对复发的影响。大鼠在三个阶段中暴露于双组分多重时间表（VI 30-s VI 30-s）。在第一阶段，目标压杆在两个部分中都得到强化。在第二阶段，大鼠的替代性按压杠杆行为得到强化，而目标反应在其中一个阶段被消退，或在另一个阶段被持续 30 秒。在最后的测试阶段，当替代反应也被置于消隐状态时，在消隐状态下观察到的目标反应的恢复程度要比在 TO 状态下观察到的目标反应的恢复程度高。这些研究结果表明，超时可能是减轻目标反应恢复的有效方法。还需要进一步研究超时持续时间和强化频率等变量如何影响超时的厌恶性和减少复发的有效性。
{"title":"Effects of a timeout contingency on the development of resurgence: An exploratory study with rats","authors":"Carlos J. Flores , L. Rebeca Mateos , Kenneth D. Madrigal , Cinthia M. Hernandez , Julian C. Velasquez","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This experiment assessed the effects of a timeout (TO) contingency for target responding during treatment, on the development of resurgence. Rats were exposed to a two-component multiple schedule (VI 30-s VI 30-s) across three phases. In the first phase, target lever presses were reinforced in both components. During the second phase, alternative lever presses were reinforced while target responses were either placed on extinction in one component or followed by a 30-s TO in the other. In the final test phase, when alternative responding was also placed on extinction, greater resurgence of the target response was observed in the extinction component compared to the TO component. These findings suggest that timeout may be an effective procedure for mitigating resurgence. Further research is warranted to examine how variables such as timeout duration and reinforcement frequency influence its aversiveness and effectiveness in reducing resurgence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105175"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-01DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105172
Layane Yamila Viol , Érica da Silva Bachetti , Luciana Barçante , Cristiano Schetini de Azevedo
The standardisation of ethograms offers behavioural researchers many practical advantages. They make it possible to describe behavioural repertoires and their occurrence in different contexts accurately. As there is no standardised ethogram for Psittaciformes in the scientific literature, this study aimed to create one by compiling information from scientific articles to facilitate and standardise the naming and description of the group's behaviours, allowing for future comparisons between studies. Bibliographic searches for ethograms were carried out on the Scopus and Web of Science platforms, and the selected papers were evaluated to identify the terminology used for the behaviours and their description. The standardised ethogram for Psittaciformes was finalised with 102 behaviours, divided into 11 behavioural categories. The category with the highest number of behaviours was activity. Only 21 species of the order were covered, most from the Psittacidae family, representing 5 % of the 421 described species. Of the articles containing ethograms, 76 % of the authors created them rather than using those already published in the scientific literature. These results collectively indicate the importance of having a standardised ethogram for the Order, as this would facilitate future studies for the group. The standardised ethogram was built in the present study to facilitate behavioural researchers with more precise definitions of all the behaviours and to help unify and compare behavioural research on Psittaciformes.
行为图的标准化为行为研究者提供了许多实用的优势。它们使得准确地描述行为特征及其在不同环境中的出现成为可能。由于科学文献中没有鹦鹉形目动物的标准化族谱，本研究旨在通过收集科学文章中的信息来创建一个族谱，以促进和标准化该群体行为的命名和描述，从而允许未来研究之间的比较。在Scopus和Web of Science平台上对行为图进行书目检索，并对选定的论文进行评估，以确定用于行为及其描述的术语。最终确定了鹦鹉形目动物的标准化谱，包括102种行为，分为11种行为类别。行为最多的类别是活动。仅覆盖了该目的21种，大多数来自鹦鹉科，占420个已描述物种的5%。在含有直方图的文章中，76%的作者创造了直方图，而不是使用已经在科学文献中发表的直方图。这些结果共同表明了为骑士团建立标准化族谱的重要性，因为这将有助于今后对骑士团进行研究。在本研究中建立标准化的族谱是为了方便行为研究人员对所有行为进行更精确的定义，并有助于统一和比较鹦鹉形目动物的行为研究。
{"title":"A standardised ethogram for the Psittaciformes","authors":"Layane Yamila Viol , Érica da Silva Bachetti , Luciana Barçante , Cristiano Schetini de Azevedo","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105172","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105172","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The standardisation of ethograms offers behavioural researchers many practical advantages. They make it possible to describe behavioural repertoires and their occurrence in different contexts accurately. As there is no standardised ethogram for Psittaciformes in the scientific literature, this study aimed to create one by compiling information from scientific articles to facilitate and standardise the naming and description of the group's behaviours, allowing for future comparisons between studies. Bibliographic searches for ethograms were carried out on the Scopus and Web of Science platforms, and the selected papers were evaluated to identify the terminology used for the behaviours and their description. The standardised ethogram for Psittaciformes was finalised with 102 behaviours, divided into 11 behavioural categories. The category with the highest number of behaviours was activity. Only 21 species of the order were covered, most from the Psittacidae family, representing 5 % of the 421 described species. Of the articles containing ethograms, 76 % of the authors created them rather than using those already published in the scientific literature. These results collectively indicate the importance of having a standardised ethogram for the Order, as this would facilitate future studies for the group. The standardised ethogram was built in the present study to facilitate behavioural researchers with more precise definitions of all the behaviours and to help unify and compare behavioural research on Psittaciformes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 105172"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-01DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105169
Erin Horkan , Matthew R. Baker
Environmental conditions influence the condition and survival of organisms and may influence levels of activity, relative condition, and mortality rates. Temperature has a direct effect on energetic demands associated with activity and rest and temperature-mediated physiological rates. Most organisms operate within narrow tolerance thresholds for temperature. Exposure to conditions outside these thresholds may have deleterious effects on metabolic demands, energy retention, and physiological rates. Experimental trials are one tool that may provide insight to species-specific tolerance to elevated temperatures. We ran experimental trials to examine the effects of elevated temperature on Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), an important forage fish in the North Pacific. Fish were held in tank trials at ambient (11 °C) and elevated (18 °C) temperatures in tanks with and without sediment. Analyses compared the effect of increased sea temperature on activity level, condition, and mortality. Experimental trials also examined the influence of the presence/absence of sediment on behavior. To compare experimental results with conditions experienced in situ, we evaluated a comparison dataset from the Salish Sea that spanned the 2014–2016 marine heat wave in the North Pacific. Analysis of in situ data showed a reduction in condition of Pacific sand lance populations in the Salish Sea during the 2014–2016 period of anomalous warming, but also recovery. Experimental trials demonstrated the importance of both temperature and sediment. Elevated temperatures resulted in reduced activity, reduced condition, and increased mortality. Absence of sediment had a negative effect on fish condition and survival and interfered with behavior associated with estivation and winter dormancy. Results provide insight into energetics and mortality that might be associated with future marine heat waves and have application to parameterizing ecosystem models.
{"title":"Experimental trials provide insight to climate impacts on condition and over-winter survival in Pacific sand lance, Ammodytes personatus","authors":"Erin Horkan , Matthew R. Baker","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental conditions influence the condition and survival of organisms and may influence levels of activity, relative condition, and mortality rates. Temperature has a direct effect on energetic demands associated with activity and rest and temperature-mediated physiological rates. Most organisms operate within narrow tolerance thresholds for temperature. Exposure to conditions outside these thresholds may have deleterious effects on metabolic demands, energy retention, and physiological rates. Experimental trials are one tool that may provide insight to species-specific tolerance to elevated temperatures. We ran experimental trials to examine the effects of elevated temperature on Pacific sand lance <em>(Ammodytes personatus)</em>, an important forage fish in the North Pacific. Fish were held in tank trials at ambient (11 °C) and elevated (18 °C) temperatures in tanks with and without sediment. Analyses compared the effect of increased sea temperature on activity level, condition, and mortality. Experimental trials also examined the influence of the presence/absence of sediment on behavior. To compare experimental results with conditions experienced in situ, we evaluated a comparison dataset from the Salish Sea that spanned the 2014–2016 marine heat wave in the North Pacific. Analysis of in situ data showed a reduction in condition of Pacific sand lance populations in the Salish Sea during the 2014–2016 period of anomalous warming, but also recovery. Experimental trials demonstrated the importance of both temperature and sediment. Elevated temperatures resulted in reduced activity, reduced condition, and increased mortality. Absence of sediment had a negative effect on fish condition and survival and interfered with behavior associated with estivation and winter dormancy. Results provide insight into energetics and mortality that might be associated with future marine heat waves and have application to parameterizing ecosystem models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 105169"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143536586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-01DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105170
Noa Danthony, Esther M Lanaspa Pérez, Frédérique Dubois
The maintenance of individual differences in cognitive performance is puzzling given that cognitive performance is frequently correlated with fitness components. Cognitive performances are typically measured under laboratory conditions, in which individuals cannot observe others. Under natural conditions, however, observational learning would allow individuals with poorer cognitive abilities to improve their performance by copying the choices of more skilled individuals. Learning in groups would thus reduce differences in individual performance and, as such, might contribute to maintaining variability in cognitive abilities. Here, we carried out an experiment with zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) that were subjected to 3 associative learning tests, differing in terms of access to and complexity of public information. We found that the difference in learning performance between the fast and slow learners in the individual learning task was no longer significant when the slow learners had access to public information, but only if they received the same reward as their partner when choosing the same option. Thus, our study confirms that zebra finches tend to copy others’ decisions that perform better, and hence strongly suggests that individual variation in cognitive performance, when tested in isolation, may not accurately reflect actual foraging success in a natural social setting. In species that forage in groups and use social information, our findings thus might contribute to explaining i) the maintenance of individual differences in cognitive abilities, and ii) why cognitive performances are not necessarily used as mate choice criteria. To better understand the evolution of animal cognition, future studies will thus need to identify which are the relevant cognitive abilities on which selection may act and measure individuals’ cognitive performance in their natural environment.
{"title":"Associative learning in pairs tends to reduce individual differences in performance: An experiment with zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)","authors":"Noa Danthony, Esther M Lanaspa Pérez, Frédérique Dubois","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105170","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105170","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The maintenance of individual differences in cognitive performance is puzzling given that cognitive performance is frequently correlated with fitness components. Cognitive performances are typically measured under laboratory conditions, in which individuals cannot observe others. Under natural conditions, however, observational learning would allow individuals with poorer cognitive abilities to improve their performance by copying the choices of more skilled individuals. Learning in groups would thus reduce differences in individual performance and, as such, might contribute to maintaining variability in cognitive abilities. Here, we carried out an experiment with zebra finches (<em>Taeniopygia guttata</em>) that were subjected to 3 associative learning tests, differing in terms of access to and complexity of public information. We found that the difference in learning performance between the fast and slow learners in the individual learning task was no longer significant when the slow learners had access to public information, but only if they received the same reward as their partner when choosing the same option. Thus, our study confirms that zebra finches tend to copy others’ decisions that perform better, and hence strongly suggests that individual variation in cognitive performance, when tested in isolation, may not accurately reflect actual foraging success in a natural social setting. In species that forage in groups and use social information, our findings thus might contribute to explaining i) the maintenance of individual differences in cognitive abilities, and ii) why cognitive performances are not necessarily used as mate choice criteria. To better understand the evolution of animal cognition, future studies will thus need to identify which are the relevant cognitive abilities on which selection may act and measure individuals’ cognitive performance in their natural environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 105170"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The psittacine budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus, a parrot species known to be a vocal learner, produces long and complex songs composed of different syllable types. Budgerigars can imitate heterospecific sounds as new song syllables, including human speech, but it is unclear how the imitative sounds affect the proportion of different syllables or high-order song structure, such as temporal pattern, which is characteristic of the budgerigar song. We analyzed recordings of songs from six adult male budgerigars with or without imitations of Japanese words to identify whether songs with imitations differed in structure from those without imitations. Songs with imitations contained significantly fewer narrowband syllables and more harmonic syllables, including imitative vocalizations, than those with no imitations. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in most of the temporal parameters between songs with and without imitations, suggesting that the high-order song structure was less affected by incorporating newly acquired syllables. These observations suggest that the heterospecific imitations replaced the conspecific narrowband syllables, which are frequently seen in normal budgerigar song and are acquired through learning processes, possibly without changing the temporal pattern in the song of budgerigars.
{"title":"Acquired human speech sounds replace conspecific syllables in the song of Budgerigars Melopsittacus undulatus","authors":"Aiko Watanabe , Mami Kitahara , Ayaka Sano , Ryohei Satoh , Takenori Miyamoto , Hiroko Eda-Fujiwara","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105171","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105171","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The psittacine budgerigar <em>Melopsittacus undulatus</em>, a parrot species known to be a vocal learner, produces long and complex songs composed of different syllable types. Budgerigars can imitate heterospecific sounds as new song syllables, including human speech, but it is unclear how the imitative sounds affect the proportion of different syllables or high-order song structure, such as temporal pattern, which is characteristic of the budgerigar song. We analyzed recordings of songs from six adult male budgerigars with or without imitations of Japanese words to identify whether songs with imitations differed in structure from those without imitations. Songs with imitations contained significantly fewer narrowband syllables and more harmonic syllables, including imitative vocalizations, than those with no imitations. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in most of the temporal parameters between songs with and without imitations, suggesting that the high-order song structure was less affected by incorporating newly acquired syllables. These observations suggest that the heterospecific imitations replaced the conspecific narrowband syllables, which are frequently seen in normal budgerigar song and are acquired through learning processes, possibly without changing the temporal pattern in the song of budgerigars.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 105171"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143529309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-01DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105174
CA. Rangel-Patiño , CA. Mastachi-Loza , JM. Carmen-Cristóbal , ML Ruiz-Gómez
Foraging is a demanding activity for species that search intensively for food, and learning may help them minimise the costs associated with feeding. In different species, there is a relationship between personality (risk-taking) and learning, where bolder individuals learn fast and perform better in stable environments. On the other hand, shy individuals have slower learning rates because they spend more time paying attention to the environment, and their performance peaks under unstable environmental conditions. Therefore, we could expect that these differences will permeate other contexts, such as foraging mode. We evaluated learning and boldness in the active foraging lizard Aspidoscelis costatus costatus to establish if this association is present in reptiles. We found that males and females have similar learning abilities, with bolder individuals learning to find and consume food faster. Females were bolder than males in the presence of a novel object. We suggest that the results are related to the foraging ecology of the species, in which active foragers manifest risky behaviours (i.e. boldness, exploration, and higher activity) to search wide areas for prey, which may be enhanced by faster learning to reduce the costs associated with foraging.
{"title":"Boldness and learning in an active foraging lizard","authors":"CA. Rangel-Patiño , CA. Mastachi-Loza , JM. Carmen-Cristóbal , ML Ruiz-Gómez","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105174","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105174","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Foraging is a demanding activity for species that search intensively for food, and learning may help them minimise the costs associated with feeding. In different species, there is a relationship between personality (risk-taking) and learning, where bolder individuals learn fast and perform better in stable environments. On the other hand, shy individuals have slower learning rates because they spend more time paying attention to the environment, and their performance peaks under unstable environmental conditions. Therefore, we could expect that these differences will permeate other contexts, such as foraging mode. We evaluated learning and boldness in the active foraging lizard <em>Aspidoscelis costatus costatus</em> to establish if this association is present in reptiles. We found that males and females have similar learning abilities, with bolder individuals learning to find and consume food faster. Females were bolder than males in the presence of a novel object. We suggest that the results are related to the foraging ecology of the species, in which active foragers manifest risky behaviours (i.e. boldness, exploration, and higher activity) to search wide areas for prey, which may be enhanced by faster learning to reduce the costs associated with foraging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 105174"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143550309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号