Recent uclapsych_ijcp items

The Neural Basis of Nonverbal Communication: How the Brain Processes Body Language Cues

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This theoretical and integrative neuroscience review examines the neural mechanisms underlying nonverbal communication, focusing on how the human brain processes body language cues, including posture, gestures, and facial expressions. Drawing from recent advancements in affective neuroscience, social cognition, and neuroimaging research, the article synthesizes findings across multiple disciplines to explain the functional roles of key brain structures, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus, and mirror neuron systems, in decoding nonverbal signals. The review highlights how these structures collaborate to interpret social and emotional meaning embedded in nonverbal behavior, with implications for understanding social disorders and improving interpersonal communication. Particular emphasis is placed on studies from the past 10 years to ensure contemporary relevance. This review also addresses theoretical frameworks such as Embodied Simulation Theory...

The Influence of Reinforcement on Aspects of Killer Whale Innovation under Stimulus Control

Fri, 8 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Creativity research suggests that creative output can be influenced by extrinsic rewards. Through reinforcement, individual killer whales were trained to produce varied behaviors to a particular cue. The purpose of this study was to opportunistically assess whether or not testing protocols, which varied in reinforcement schedules across four killer whales, influenced the outcomes of four measured constructs of creativity (Fluency, Flexibility, Elaboration, Originality) during the innovate task while under stimulus control. Of the four killer whales, one animal experienced a continuous reinforcement schedule for all test sessions, one experienced a variable reinforcement schedule for all test sessions, and two experienced two types of reinforcement schedules (6 sessions of continuous reinforcement followed by 6 sessions of variable reinforcement). Results suggested that both individuality and reinforcement schedule may have influenced the expression of selected behaviors for...

Amplitude Increases of Vocalizations are Associated with Body Accelerations in Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus), one of the few singing apes, vocalize loudly, often while they move. We hypothesize that movement and vocalization coordinate, possibly due to vigorous thorax-loading movements such as brachiation affecting vocal-respiratory dynamics. To assess this vocal-motor coordination we recorded more than a hundred stereotypical vocalizations combined with movement from two captive Siamang (isolated from 7 hours of singing). We observed that stereotypical calls coincided with a movement display and were performed by juvenile individuals during solo singing (which allowed for isolation of the calls). Investigating these vocal-motor events, we found that body acceleration estimated using computer vision was statistically associated with the nearest peak in the amplitude envelope of the call, and that body acceleration timeseries contained mutual information about the amplitude envelope timeseries during these events. By confirming via quantitative methods...

Exploring Communication Systems of Humans and Non-Human Animals: A Linguistic and Semiotic Perspective

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines human and non-human animal communication from a linguistic–semiotic perspective to address the limitations of anthropocentric models that treat language and animal signaling as a strict dichotomy. Existing studies often emphasize human linguistic uniqueness without adequately accounting for semiotic continuities across species. To address this gap, the study conceptualizes communication as a semiotic continuum rather than a binary distinction. Using a qualitative comparative design, the research analyzes multimodal data from human communication and selected animal systems, including honeybee dances, dolphin echolocation, birdsong, and primate alarm calls. Data were examined through a coding framework based on Peircean semiotics and Hockett’s design features to ensure analytical rigor and comparability. The findings indicate that human communication is distinguished by symbolic abstraction, open-ended productivity, recursion, and metacommunication. However,...

The Use of Stickers to Generate Interest in Comparative Psychology: An Extension of Abramson and Long (2012)

Mon, 2 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article describes the use of stickers to generate interest in comparative psychology. It is based on an earlier publication in which users can design their own official United States postage stamps (Abramson & Long, 2012). The company that developed the product no longer manufactures it, so we created a substitute using stickers that can be placed, for instance, on the bottom flap of an envelope. In addition to highlighting aspects of comparative psychology, such as individuals, apparatus, and movements, the stickers can also be used to feature other aspects of psychology. They can also be used as a fundraiser and recruitment tool. Developing the stickers is an excellent student-based project suitable for all courses, including the history of psychology. QR and/or bar codes can be added to link to student-developed resources.

A Case Report on an Investigation of Oddity Concept Learning in Humans (Homo sapiens) with Olfactory Stimuli

Mon, 2 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The present study aimed to investigate whether children could acquire the oddity concept using olfactory stimuli. To this end, three children aged 3 to 6 years were concurrently trained on multiple odor oddity problems and tested with novel ones. The findings showed that the 6-year-old participant mastered the acquisition training and transferred this experience to the novel oddity problems in the transfer test, suggesting that the child had acquired a relational understanding of the difference between odd and identical odor stimuli. Factors influencing the acquisition of the oddity concept were discussed.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Preventing Shadow Boxing through Habituation - A Pilot Study

Tue, 6 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Shadow boxing is the aggressive response of an animal to its reflection. When the species is strong enough to break surfaces (e.g., bear, monkey, woodpecker), this behaviour can lead to human-wildlife conflicts. In this pilot study, we assessed whether shadow boxing is subject to habituation (learning to ignore stimuli) in Southern ground-hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri). In the Mirror task, birds were repeatedly exposed to unbreakable mirrors (habituation). Subsequently, one mirror was presented at a different location (test). In the Neophobia task, a food reward was placed next to novel objects. Ground-hornbills did not habituate to the mirrors, but they differed in their levels of neophobia.

Dog Button Communication: Training Experiences and Educational Implications

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper reviews the effectiveness and application of communication buttons as a means of interaction with domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), based on the personal experiences of users. The results showed that dogs are capable of communicating through buttons, expressing their needs, and forming multi-word phrases. The highest success rate was observed in medium and large breeds between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Nearly half of the dogs learned to use their first button within a week, although button spamming behavior was also observed in some individuals. Statistical analysis revealed that dogs preferred specific word categories (particularly activity/place and reward), although differences in the intensity of usage between categories were not statistically significant due to high variability within groups. The ability to combine words into more complex expressions was observed in approximately half of the dogs. The findings also suggest that independent button use...

Experimental Study of Social Learning in Three Wild Shell-dwelling Tanganyikan Cichlids That Vary in Sociality

Thu, 2 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The social intelligence hypothesis posits that animals living in more complex social groups display better cognitive performances. However, this hypothesis has mainly been investigated in primates and studies using similar paradigms across different species are scarce. Here, we tested three species of wild Lamprologine shell-dwelling cichlid fishes from Lake Tanganyika (Neolamprologus multifasciatus, Lamprologus ocellatus, and L. ornatipinnis) that vary in their levels of sociality. We developed a standardized learning paradigm well-established in various species, including cichlids. We used shells, with which the fishes inherently interact, to design an ecologically relevant apparatus to test the three species in identical color associative learning and social learning tasks. We found species differences in engagement in the training for these tasks and only 5 out of 24 individuals learnt to feed from a neutral white shell. One L. ocellatus and one L. ornatipinnis learnt to...

A Case Study of Associations Between Human Visual-Vocal Commands and Behaviors in a Lactating Steller Sea Lion Pup (Eumetopias jubatus)

Thu, 2 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study aimed to examine whether a lactating Steller sea lion pup (Eumetopias jubatus) could learn the associations between human commands (verbal/ visual) and behavior. A male Steller sea lion pup named Kanata was artificially cared for from the age of 36 hours. When Kanata was three months old, we began behavior-shaping training using milk as a reinforcer. During the training phase, which lasted approximately three months, Kanata learned nine behaviors. The trainers simultaneously presented Kanata with both hand signals and vocal commands to condition each behavior's association with the human commands. In the test phase, we tested the effects of associative learning between the human commands and each behavior in the three conditions. When trainers simultaneously gave him hand signals and vocal commands (Condition 1), Kanata’s performance was significantly higher than for the other conditions (Condition 2: only hand signals and Condition 3: only vocal commands). Additionally,...

Exploring Burst Pulses as Indicators of Positive Affect in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) During Match-to-Sample Trials

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) vocalizations called “burst pulses” exhibit distinct acoustic properties and can potentially be linked to affective states. This study aimed to determine if dolphins produce burst pulses during match-to-sample with both successful and unsuccessful outcomes and to explore any association with positive affect. We observed that burst pulses occurred in 74% of match-to-sample trials (in which the subject views a sample object and selects the match from a group of alternative objects), with a significantly higher frequency during correct responses. Additionally, there was a notable difference in the proportion of burst pulses occurring before versus after the trainer’s bridge, with more burst pulses occurring before the trainer’s bridge. The timing and characteristics of these burst pulses suggest they may be related to the dolphins’ interest and excitement rather than merely a response to reinforcement. These findings provide new insights...

Performance of African Bush Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) on a Cooperative Task

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Several species have demonstrated the ability to cooperate with conspecifics in a lab or zoological setting. The present study sought to replicate previous research (Plotnik et al., 2011) in which pairs of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) had to simultaneously pull on the ends of a rope in order to bring food rewards within reach. The initial study was conducted in a free-contact setting with Asian elephants, whereas the present study was conducted under a protected-contact management program with ZooTampa at Lowry Park’s herd of six African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana). Trials were deemed successful if the sled was pulled to a distance where both elephants were able to access food that was resting on the sled. Overall, 15 different pairings were tested on the rope-pulling cooperative task while released simultaneously (non-delayed trials). All but one pairing quickly learned that a form of cooperation was necessary to complete the task successfully (p < .05). After...

Classical Fear Conditioning in Turtles (Chrysemys picta)

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In all organisms, fear conditioning is a behavior that would be expected to be adaptive for anticipating dangerous stimuli. It therefore should have been selected for in the course of evolution. Although fear conditioning has been demonstrated in many different species, it had only been shown in one reptile group, lizards, prior to this study. We developed a paradigm to study fear conditioning in painted turtles (Chrysemys picta). In each of two experiments, there were three groups: an Experimental group in which a red light (the conditioned stimulus, or CS) was paired with a footshock (the unconditioned stimulus, or US), an Unpaired control group given unpaired presentations of the red light and footshock, and a CS Only control group presented with the red light only. The experiments differed in the number of days of training: In Experiment 1, the animals were trained for 9 days and were then run on extinction for 6 days. The results appeared...

Assessing Judgment Bias in Ambassador Animals: Two Case Studies

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Judgment bias tasks assess optimism and pessimism through responses to ambiguous stimuli. When interacting with ambiguous stimuli, optimistic individuals anticipate receiving a reward whereas pessimistic individuals anticipate a lack of reward, with these differing expectations reflected in approach time. Researchers have used these tests to assess animals’ reactions to assumed positive and negative contexts, but rarely to assess the effects of participation in ambassador programs. We tested two ambassador animals—a domestic chicken (Gallus domesticus) and a red tegu (Salvator rufescens)—after exposure to zoo visitors. Once they learned that a container on the left contained food whereas a container on the right contained no food, we introduced an ambiguous container equidistant from the left and right locations. We assessed the chicken’s judgment biases when she was perched or held. We assessed the tegu’s judgment bias when visitors were allowed to touch him or not. The chicken...

An Agent-Based Approach to Study the Producer-Scrounger Game in Humans

Fri, 9 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In social foraging situations, group members choose between two strategies: (a) actively engage in searching for resource sources (Producing); or (b) join a resource source previously discovered by another group member (Scrounging). Two predictions of the Rate-Maximization Model are: (a) the proportion of producers will be lower in conditions where the group size is larger; and (b) the proportion of producers will be lower in conditions where the number of resources is higher. While these predictions have been tested across various species, the number of studies involving human participants remains relatively low. Using an agent-based model approach, we propose a Direct Interaction Task to study the producer-scrounger game in human participants. In this online behavioral task, a single participant moves freely within the habitat and competes for resources against agents. The study involved 80 university students assigned to one of four conditions that varied by group size (G4,...

Addendum: Quantitative Analysis of Honey Bee Blood-Ethanol Levels Following Exposure to Ethanol Vapors

Tue, 8 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This addendum reports an additional statistical analysis of the data of our earlier paper on the effect of exposing bees to ethanol vapor. The analysis indicated that inhaled ethanol is absorbed into the hemolymph, similar to the more traditional method of feeding bees ethanol. Therefore, both ingestion and inhalation can be used as effective methods of ethanol administration in honey bees.

Tablet Screen-Touch Behavior with Audiovisual Stimulus Consequences in the Common Marmoset (Callithrix Jacchus)

Wed, 2 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The common marmoset is a nonhuman primate with a body size similar to an adult rat (approximately 250 – 450 g). This study examined the use of marmosets for behavior research on learning, focusing on the behavioral consequences of audiovisual stimuli (neither food nor liquid used as a reinforcer). A tablet (iPad®) was placed in each marmoset’s individual living cage during the experiment. On the tablet screen, nine small soundless videos of different nonhuman primate species were simultaneously presented. If the marmoset touched any of them, the touched video was zoomed-in on the screen; this was accompanied by the sound of primates chattering as the response consequence. After 2 months of repeated training sessions (10 min/day, 2 or 3 days/week), eight of the ten marmosets established the screen-touch behavior. In an extinction test for the response consequence, the screen-touch response to any of nine primate videos was examined after the presentation of a black screen instead...

Making an Ethogram for Octopuses: A Personal Story

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Making an ethogram, a repertoire of the behavior of a species or several related ones, is obviously an important foundation for any theoretical studies of their behavior. In addition, it is useful for conservation, and evolution, and as a basis for good care in captivity. But such a thorough description is neither easy nor quick. This account takes the reader on the author’s journey through lab and field work on seven species and to the struggle to publish results that make up an ethogram of octopuses in the family Octopodidae.

Square-Diamond Illusion in Bottlenose Dolphin

Thu, 6 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Animals do not see the external world as it is. Different animals process information in different ways, even when looking at the same object. A visual illusion is a psychological phenomenon by which the eye perceives something as different from what it is. We tested whether a bottlenose dolphin produces the square-diamond illusion to see if it experiences the illusion in the same way as humans. In Experiment 1, two figures (square and diamond) of different sizes were presented in the training session and the subject had to choose the “smaller” figure. In the test session, 22 pairs of squares and diamonds of different areas were presented to see which the subject would choose. When the area difference is large, the percentage of correct responses is high, but when the area difference is small, the percentage of correct responses varies between pairs. When these results were then sorted into “small squares vs. large diamonds” and “small diamonds vs. large squares”, the percentages...

Quantitative Analysis of Honey Bee Blood-Ethanol Levels Following Exposure to Ethanol Vapors

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The use of invertebrate models has allowed researchers to examine the mechanisms behind alcoholism and its effects with a cost-effective system. In that respect, the honey bee is an ideal model species to study the effects of ethanol (EtOH) due to the behavioral and physiological similarities of honey bees with humans when alcohol is consumed. Although both ingestion and inhalation methods are used to dose subjects in insect EtOH model systems, there is little literature on the use of the EtOH vapor-exposure method for experiments using honey bees. The experiment presented here provides baseline data for a dose EtOH-hemolymph response curve when using EtOH vapor-inhalation dosing with honey bees (Apis mellifera). Bees were exposed to EtOH vapors for 0, 1, 2.5, or 5 min, and hemolymph was collected 1 min post EtOH exposure. Hemolymph samples were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) for hemolymph EtOH concentration. The ethanol-hemolymph level of the bees increased linearly...

The Mexican Native Primates from the Comparative Psychology Point of View: State of the Art and Perspectives

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Primates have been studied extensively to understand their behavior and the mechanisms that allow information processing. However, when we closely analyze the species studied and the different projects and topics carried out with them, we found that some species have been highly studied, while others have only a few studies. These differences create a significant underrepresentation of some primate species that could be especially problematic when we use the available information to track the evolution and the diversification of behavior and the mechanisms for information processing. With this in mind, this review aims to show the state-of-the-art of different topics studied in Mexican primates and identify topics that could be studied in the future. The review also aims to demonstrate why working with native species is a path that many low- and middle-income countries like Mexico can follow to develop research programs in their homelands.

Compositional Differences, Functional Similarities: A Linguistic Analysis of Private Speech from a Young Child and a Home-Reared African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus)

Fri, 6 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Humans and other vocal-learning species engage in solo vocalizations. Such vocalizations in the human literature are referred to as private speech and have been hypothesized to play a role in vocal repertoire development both in humans and nonhumans, alike. The current study used corpus linguistics techniques to quantitatively and qualitatively compare the private speech of a two-year-old child and an enculturated, home-reared African Grey parrot to identify similarities and differences in the composition and function of their private speech. Both speakers exhibited previously documented human private speech functions, including sound- and word-play and repetitive practice of new words. The composition of the utterances, however, was different between the two speakers. The child’s private speech contained a larger vocabulary, more frequent use of function words (i.e., prepositions, articles, pronouns, conjunctions) to string together ideas, and the use of multiple verb tenses....

Dominance Hierarchies in Captive Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta)

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We investigated dominance in two groups of captive painted turtles, each over a period of 8 weeks. In each case, we began with five turtles, then added a sixth after 6 weeks. One group was run in the fall, the other in the spring, and the makeup of males and females differed in the two seasons. We measured two behaviors while they were feeding: mounting, defined as placing a claw or head above the carapace of the other turtle for at least one second, where the mounter was stationary, and biting, defined as snapping at another turtle. We hypothesized that the turtles would demonstrate a dominance hierarchy. Our results showed that painted turtles show individual differences in behavior. These differences are consistent over time and allow dominance hierarchies to be established. Both mounting and biting demonstrated consistency, but mounting was more consistent than biting. The amount of mounting and biting differed by sex and season, but turtle size did not seem to influence...

The Use of Dwarf Octopus (Octopus joubini) As A Model for Hands-On Research Experience in Comparative Psychology

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology at Oklahoma State University has been developing comparative psychology teaching exercises for over 30 years. In this paper, we provide suggestions for using the dwarf octopus (Octopus joubini) to teach students about the importance of observation, and the relationship of observation in the creation of ethograms and experimental design. Throughout this paper, students learn how to properly make an observation of a novel animal, create an ethogram, and conduct an experiment. We present a sample observation activity and three additional experiments, during which students will observe and record behaviors and environmental conditions. Students learn saltwater tank upkeep, time management, creation and coding of operational definitions, attention to changes in animal behavior, and the experimental process. These observation studies allow students to observe and record behavioral data to understand comparative psychology...

Food Preference and Demand in a Ramp Task in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are popular pets and used as laboratory animals, however, their dietary preferences are under-studied. It is important for guinea pig owners and carers to increase the opportunity for good animal welfare by providing personalized and enriching dietary options. Thus, this study aimed to assess the use of paired-stimulus and multiple-stimulus-without-replacement preference assessments to determine the food preferences of seven male guinea pigs and test the validity of the methods by testing the demand for the most- and least preferred foods as reinforcers for climbing an elevated ramp. Generally, the preference assessments identified the same foods as the most preferred for each guinea pig, but not the least preferred foods. Guinea pigs climbed up to the steepest angle for both most and least preferred foods, but a non-linear least squares regression and demand analysis indicated faster climbing and inelastic demand for most preferred foods compared...

Laterality Handedness When Completing a Tool-Use Task in Asian Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinerea)

Tue, 6 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Laterality is defined as the occurrence of each cerebral hemisphere having asymmetric control over the different sides of the body, leading to preferences to use one side of the body over the other for various behaviors. Many types of laterality exist, but handedness is the form that is most predominantly assessed. Handedness in animals is of special interest to laterality researchers, as humans were once thought to be the only species that exhibited lateralized hand preferences. The aim of the current study was to determine if Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea) exhibit significant paw preferences in behaviors associated with completing a specific tool-use task. Video data of the otters completing the task was analyzed for specific paw interactions with the tool-use apparatus, and the percentage of correct completion of the task was documented for each otter. Overall, no significant population level paw preference was present. However, individual differences in paw preference...

Reversal Learning in Ant Colonies

Mon, 5 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Reversal learning has been studied in many species, often as an indicator of their behavioral flexibility. Although this research typically focuses on individuals, groups of social animals, especially social insects, are often considered to have similar learning capabilities. Associative learning has been rarely studied in ant colonies and their behavioral flexibility is still to be assessed. In this study, ant colonies readily learned to discriminate between compound visuotactile cues and subsequently learned their reversal. Reversal performance was maintained after a 5-day retention interval, but not after a 10-day interval. Although this study does not differentiate learning processes at the individual vs. colony levels, it is the first demonstration of reversal learning conducted in ant colonies. These results show that the two-corridor maze can serve to assess colony-level learning in ants. This is a first step to investigate key mechanisms underlying collective learning...

Probable Play Behavior in a Surgeonfish (Naso vlamingii )

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I report an observation of possible play behavior in an individual captive Vlaming's unicornfish (Naso vlamingii). The fish was documented performing locomotory interactions with the filtered stream of water from the return nozzle in its aquarium. Such behaviors conform to existing definitions of play behavior. Animal play is traditionally imagined to be restricted to mammals and birds, with research on this type of behavior remaining scarce within other animals. This finding thus expands upon the ubiquity of play in understudied vertebrate taxa.

A Case Study of Spontaneous Category Formation and Behavioral Expression in a Language-Trained Steller Sea Lion Eumetopias jubatus

Tue, 4 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study was to examine the responses of a Steller sea lion to two consecutive commands. We conducted this study on one same subject, Hama, as a continuation of Sasaki et al. (2022), which examined whether the Steller sea lion can discriminate human vocal commands. In Sasaki et al. (2022), commands were presented individually to examine the accuracy rate for each command. In the present study, we observed how Hama responded to the rapid presentation of two consecutive commands. The commands were presented in 20 different orders and combinations as 20 command combination patterns using five different commands. The results showed that Hama responded to 12 command combination patterns by performing behaviors corresponding to two consecutive commands. Hama performed the two behaviors in sequence in 8 of the 12 command combination patterns. The responses to the other four command combination patterns were combined single behaviors that combined the behaviors indicated...

Inhibitory S-R Associations Influence the Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect

Wed, 3 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect (PREE) is the finding of more rapid extinction to a continuously reinforced cue than to a partially reinforced cue. Despite its well-documented existence, it has challenged many theoretical accounts of learning that assume the likelihood of responding is correlated with the strength of the learned Stimulus (S) – Response (R) association. While a number of explanations (notably by Amsel and Capaldi) of the PREE have been proposed, Rescorla (1999) reported a PREE using an entirely within-subjects design—a finding that runs counter to these proposed explanations. We describe how the PREE might be explained by the formation of inhibitory S-R associations that develop during the acquisition of partial reinforcement, but not continuous reinforcement. To test this proposal, we trained pigeons to peck a response key in the presence of one partially reinforced stimulus but also omitted the response key during the training of an alternative partially...

Effortful foraging activity for uncertain food in pigeons

Tue, 5 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When well-known food resources are running out, animals extinguish their foraging behavior in that food patch and increasingly work for reward-related information to decrease outcome uncertainty. In the absence of such information, a potentially successful strategy consists of spending more time and effort searching for profitable locations—a phenomenon known from extinction learning experiments conducted in conventional conditioning chambers. Here, we tested this hypothesis by means of a semi-natural “foraging board” allowing pigeons to move and look for food items inside perforated holes. The holes could be covered with a slit plastic tape, hiding the food items they contained while making them accessible to pigeons. Our goal was to determine how pigeons forage on hidden food items in an area associated with uncertainty (one in three holes baited, on average) when visible or hidden food items were available in an adjacent area associated with certainty (each hole baited). The...

Do belugas send sound cues? -Experimental verification of blindfolded imitation among beluga-

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Dolphins are able to successfully coordinate their behavior using audio signals. Therefore, the current study tested whether or not belugas can use sound to exchange information in a cooperative task and verified the mechanisms of the transmission of information during trials. The subjects are two male belugas, Nack and Duke. Nack was trained to rotate its body when the experimenter turns a hand in a circular motion (rotation cue) or to take a vertical position on the spot of the pool when the experimenter turned on a light toward the subject (headstand cue). Duke was required to do the same behavior as Nack but was blindfolded. During the test trials, the experimenter presented both cues toward Nack in random order. The result indicated that Nack responded correctly to both cues, and Duke behaved similarly to Nack. Moreover, Nack emitted different sounds in response to the cues, which indicates that Nack spontaneously transmitted information to Duke by emitting sounds, which...

An inexpensive low-cost video monitoring system for automated recording of behavior and ecological interactions

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Active, real-time observation of behavior is a time-consuming task, which is heavily resource-limited. At the same time, simultaneous observation of several individuals is often paramount to increase statistical rigor and eliminate potential temporal or environmental bias, especially in natural settings. This paper describes a low-cost video recording system created by using “off-the-shelf” components. The system is easy to use and can automatically record a wide variety of behavior and related ecological interactions and evolutionary processes. The system is sensitive enough to record the behavior of a broad range of animals from planarians, and small insects to humans. It can also be used to measure the behavior of plants. The system will also work during daylight hours or at night and can run continuously and autonomously for 48 hours, or longer if the video capture is motion-triggered or if bigger capacity batteries and data storage facilities are used.

I look at you to learn! Effects of the owner's sex on social learning in domestic dogs.

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Dogs have been shown to be able to learn from a human demonstrator. However, to date, there have been no studies investigating the effect of the demonstrator’s sex on such learning. The aim of our study was to evaluate this effect by comparing an experimental condition in which dogs received a demonstration from their owner on how to manipulate one of two possible containers to obtain food and a control condition without any human demonstration. Each of these conditions was divided into two groups: male-owned and female-owned dogs. Overall, the dogs performed better in the experimental condition than the control condition. This was evidenced by a higher frequency of correct choices and opening the correct container, as well as a higher frequency of contact and gaze towards the demonstration. The female-owned group benefited from the demonstration by choosing the correct container more frequently in the experimental condition compared to the control. Conversely, male-owned dogs...

Raptors’ Natural History Influences Their Response to the String-Pull Task

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Largely due to the small number of individuals in captivity, birds of prey remain an understudied, but promising, group for animal cognition research. Variations on the classic string-pulling task have been applied across species to evaluate abilities such as associative learning, means-end understanding, and insight problem solving. Previous research has examined only a few species of raptor on the task such as the Harris’s hawk, great grey owl, and turkey vulture. Here, we explored how 1-3 individuals from each of seven raptor species (turkey vulture, Cathartes aura ; barn owl, Tyto alba ; western screech owl, Megascops kennicottii ; eastern screech owl, Megascops asio ; red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis ; Swainson’s hawk, Buteo swainsoni ; and Harris’s hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus ) responded to a standardized vertical apparatus. Our goal was to replicate, diversify, and extend the literature by documenting how these different species approached the same problem. Two...

Use of water as a tool by a beluga (Delphinapterus leucas)

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Captive belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) often spit water as object play. One female beluga spit water at a ball to obtain it for play. We examined whether or not this behavior could be considered a tool-use behavior. When the ball was placed 10 cm from the poolside, the beluga poked the ball with her rostrum, while she often spit water at the ball at 50cm. This water-spitting behavior became more predominantly when the ball was placed at 30 cm or farther, corresponding to the maximum distance she could reach, suggesting her understanding of the cause-effect relationship. Next, the two balls were placed at 30 cm and 60 cm, and one was placed inside the rings, so it would not be easy to move it out by water-spitting. When the closer ball was placed in the ring, she tried to spit water at the ball farther away but without the ring, suggesting an understanding of efficiency in tool use. Furthermore, during this study, the beluga showed the behavior of throwing the ball obtained...

In Memoriam Delbert D. Thiessen (1932-2022)

Wed, 8 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In Memoriam Delbert D. Thiessen (1932-2022)

Training Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) to Push a Cap: Shaping, Observational Learning, and Memory

Tue, 7 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The cap pushing response (CPR) is a free flying technique where honey bees are trained to fly to a target where they push a cap to reveal a hidden food source. In this paper, we report the results of three studies. First, we provide information on three techniques used to shape the CPR. Second, we provide preliminary data suggesting that honey bees can learn the CPR through observing a previously shaped bee. Finally, we provide data on the ability of a honey bee to recall the CPR response. In addition to the three studies, we also continue to advocate for the use of Observation Orientated Modeling (OOM) for comparative investigations.

Hierarchical structure and feeding behaviours of free-range hens (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) are a social species and will form a hierarchy through agonistic dyadic encounters. This hierarchy will affect how different members of the flock access food, which may affect the specific feeding behaviours of the hens. The hierarchy of a 20-hen flock was determined by analysing videoed dyadic encounters between the hens and creating a dominance matrix. The feeding behaviours were assessed by simultaneously offering free food via a feeder and food distributed in the grass requiring foraging. Overall, all hens preferred to forage, however, significantly more dominant birds ate at the feeder than neutral or subordinate birds. Foraging is a natural behaviour that chickens will innately perform and is related to a positive welfare state. The methodology for determining the flock hierarchy and measuring feeding choices could be tested within the intensive farming environment to elucidate potential effects of dominance on feeding methods in commercial...

Pigeons (Columba livia) distinguish between absence of events and lack of evidence in contingency learning

Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

When information about an event is perceptually occluded, individuals might recognize that the event might be present but that they cannot detect it because of the occluder. In such situations, an individual should continue to believe that the prevailing contingencies have not changed. This is in stark contrast to conditions where an expected event is explicitly absent, which should lead the individual to update their contingency knowledge. In an autoshaping procedure, we tested whether pigeons can discriminate conditions of perceptual ambiguity from perceptual certainty. Pigeons first learned to peck at two Pavlovian visual cues, followed by extinction of one of the cues. During extinction, the feeder was occluded by a metal shield for pigeons in Group Occluded, while the metal shield was placed next to but not covering the feeder for pigeons in Group Un-Occluded. On a final test with the metal shield removed, pigeons in Group Un-occluded pecked less at the extinguished cue than...

Welfare Issues Associated to a Pack Size Change in Captive Iberian Wolves (Canis lupus signatus): A Case of Study

Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Maintaining biologically functional and compatible social groups is a primary welfare concern for captive animals. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a pack size change -due to a new yearling- on the daily activity, use of space and inter-individual distance in a mated pair of Iberian wolves ( Canis lupus signatus ) housed at the Barcelona Zoo. Multifocal sampling methods were used for data collection, and instantaneous scans were made at 15-min intervals during 10-h sessions. 432 sampling points were balanced for the daily periods – morning, midday, and afternoon - for two different phases: dyad and triad phase. The subjects studied during the dyad phase - from April to May 1999 - were the mated pair. For the triad phase - from April to May 2000 – we studied the mated pair and the new yearling. When comparing these two study phases, there were statistically significant differences for the daily activity and the use of space. The mated pair used the space more...

An Ecological Approach to the Effects of Water-Source Locations and Time-Based Schedules on Entropy and Spatio-Temporal Behavioral Features

Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In behavior analysis, the modulation of the effect of time-based schedules by the spatial characteristics of the environment has been scarcely studied. Furthermore, the spatial organization of behavior, despite its ubiquity and ecological relevance, has not been widely addressed. The purpose of the present work was to analyze the effect of water delivery location (peripheral vs. central) on the spatial organization of water-feeding behavior under time-based schedules. One group of rats was exposed to a Fixed Time 30 s-water-delivery schedule and a second group to a Variable Time 30 s schedule. For both groups, in the first phase, the water dispenser was located in the perimetral zone. In the second condition, the water dispenser was located in the central zone. Each location was presented for 20 sessions. Rat’s trajectories, distance to the dispenser, accumulated time in zones, and entropy measures were analyzed. A differential effect of the location of water delivery in interaction...

The Creative Canine: Investigating the concept of creativity in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) using citizen science

Fri, 2 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

There is no shortage of anecdotal evidence that domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ) can solve problems in individual or creative ways. Whether it is figuring out a new way to knock over the trash can or combining puppy-dog eyes with a whine for some table scraps, dogs approach their world in many ways. In recent years, dogs have been studied for a number of cognitive functions but their ability to demonstrate creative behaviors has not been empirically studied. The present study extends training of the create behavior, as previously trained in dolphins, to dogs. The criteria of the create behavior required the dog to present a behavior that had yet to be performed in the session, therefore, the only incorrect response was a repeated behavior. Mastery of the create command was coded on three components: repetition, energy, and novelty. Possible implications of this research will be discussed. This study adds to the literature on dog cognition and supports the utilization of...

Dogs produce distinctive play pants: Confirming Simonet

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Identifying meaningful vocalizations in nonhuman animals can help explain the evolution of human communications. However, non-speech-like sounds, including laughter equivalents, are not well studied, although they may be meaningful. In this pilot study we investigate whether dogs perform a domain-specific pant during play by capturing vocalizations and behaviors during three interactions: training, play, and rest. Sixteen human and dog dyads participated in a session that included all three interactions in the same order: training, play, rest. During these sessions, each partner wore wireless microphones that transmitted to a receiver and digital recorder, while a standalone digital camera captured video of the interactions. A one-way ANOVA demonstrates that dogs do perform a domain-specific "play pant," which was almost completely absent during training and rest. These vocalizations mostly co-occurred with play behaviors (e.g., play bow) or tickling and cuddling. These preliminary...

The Psychic Life of Micro-Organisms: A Study in Experimental Psychology, A review of the book by Alfred Binet

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This article introduces the little-known contributions of Alfred Binet to comparative psychology. While Binet’s contributions to intelligence testing are well known and widely discussed in introductory psychology and history of psychology texts, his contributions to comparative psychology are largely forgotten. To acquaint textbook writers and students with Binet’s contributions, we review his 1889 book The Psychic Life of Micro-Organisms: A Study in Experimental Psychology . This book details his observations of the behavior of microscopic organisms. We discuss each of the nine chapters and close with speculation of how his book may have helped develop his problem solving tests.

Perceptions and Probabilities: Influence of Increased Options on Performance Generalization Across Two Variations of the Monty Hall Dilemma

Sun, 24 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Monty Hall dilemma (MHD) is a probability puzzle in which humans consistently fail to adopt the optimal winning strategy. The participant chooses between three identical doors, behind one of which is a valuable prize. After the participant makes their initial decision, the host reveals that there is nothing behind one of the two remaining doors, then asks the participant if they would like to stay with their originally selected door or switch to the remaining unopened door. The optimal choice is to switch to the previously unchosen door, which increases the probability of winning from 33% to 67%. Despite this basic solution, humans repeatedly perform suboptimally. Previous attempts to improve performance by increasing the number of available doors have been successful (Burns & Weith, 2004; Franko-Watkins et al., 2003; Saenen et al., 2015; Stibel et al., 2009; Watzek et al., 2018). However, prior studies that examined whether this improved performance could generalize to...

Human Vocal Commands Verify Audio Discrimination Ability in the Steller Sea Lion Eumetopias jubatus

Sun, 17 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

We report results of experiments using human vocal commands to investigate how well a Steller sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus ) can discriminate different sounds. The participant, Hama, a 12-year-old female at Kinosaki Marine World, Japan, was raised by four trainers. We investigate Hama’s ability to discriminate 10 vocal commands (e.g. Iya-iya, Okay etc.) used in daily performances in two experiments: 1, commands given directly to the sea lion by trainers, but out of her sight; and 2, vocal commands given to the sea lion by trainers, but using recorded commands over a loudspeaker. In the experiment 1, Hama was able to discriminate all 10 commands, but her accuracy to discriminate one command was significantly lower than others (p < .05). In the experiment 2, Hama was able to discriminate all but one command; accuracy rates among commands were variable, but the accuracy rate for one was significantly lower than the others, and those for three commands were significantly...

Relationship between Monetary reward and Athletic Identity of Lagos State Athletes

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated the relationship between monetary reward and athletes’ athletic identity. The purpose was to understand the difference in athletic identity between athletes who earned monetary compensations and those who did not earn any monetary compensations for participating in sports. Two hundred and fifty-six athletes who competed in state-organized sports competitions completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS). The data collected was analyzed using Mann Whitney U tests and Linear Regression at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that age did not predict athletic identity, and monetary reward did not differentiate athletes who received financial compensations or not based on their athletic identity. The results have confirmed that other factors that are not monetary may be associated with athletes’ athletic identity. Therefore sports psychologists should identify those factors to help athletes sustain their athletic personalities.

Effect of qualitatively varied reinforcement on response rates using substitutable consequences

Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In order to test the effects of qualitatively varied reinforcement on response rates 3 experiments were conducted. The goal of the first experiment was asses the level of substitutability between two reinforcers 8 female Wistar rats kept on a diet consisting solely of turnip and millet seeds, subjects were exposed to a concurrent FR5 FR5 and then to a FR4 FR8 program, by the end of the experiment there was a swift in consumption, albeit to a small degree. During the second experiment, 8 female Wistar Rats were exposed to a three-component variable interval program which consisted of three components; one during which only millet seeds were available, one in which only turnip seeds were available and a third component in which both kinds of seeds were delivered randomly. By the end of the experiment the highest response rates were recorded during the component in which only millet seeds were available. Finally, a Third experiment was implemented in order to assess whether...

Vegetarian vs. Carnivore Feeding Enrichment in a Pack of Captive Iberian Wolves (Canis lupus signatus): Towards Individual and Species-typical Needs?

Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of this study was to compare two different types of feeding enrichment (vegetarian vs. carnivore) through the daily activity, space use and inter-individual distances in a captive Iberian wolf ( Canis lupus signatus ) pack housed at the Barcelona Zoo. Multifocal sampling methods were used for data collection and instantaneous scans were made at 15-min intervals during sessions of varying duration. The enrichment sessions were carried out once a day, three days per week –Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- repeating the delivered schedule of items every two weeks. Thus, both feeding phases included six different enrichment sessions; the vegetarian phase included chopped fruit – apples inside a burlap sack, scattered bananas, peaches, frozen pears, and oranges, and kiwis inside a frozen water block; the carnivore phase included animal products -beef raw lean meat inside a burlap sack or inside a frozen water block, horse leg, live carp, frozen rabbit skin and live grasshoppers-....

A Comprehensive Description of Intake of Diverse Foods By Rats (Rattus norvegicus) Selectively Bred on a Taste Phenotype

Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Eating is a central feature of the lives of opportunistic omnivores such as humans and Norway rats. Yet in most laboratory research with Rattus norvegicus , the food landscape is monotonous, and the studies utilizing a variety of foods shed little light on intake of individual foods or choice behavior. The present study provides the most comprehensive description to date of female and male laboratory rats’ intake of foods that they and humans encounter outside of the laboratory. In eleven experiments, test foods included varieties of peanut butter, cheese, cookies, meat, chocolate, fruits, and vegetables. Rats were given commercial products or custom versions that controlled for proportion of calories from fat and caloric density, one or two foods at a time. A final experiment examined pure macronutrient self-selection. Intraspecies diversity was modeled with rat lines selectively bred on a taste phenotype. All groups voluntarily ate every food, with intake (in grams) highest...

Humans Discriminate Individual Large-Billed Crows and Individual Cats by Their Respective Vocalizations

Mon, 7 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research has shown that human adults can easily discriminate two individual zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) by their signature songs, struggle to discriminate two individual rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) by their calls, and are unable to discriminate two individual dogs ( Canis familiaris ) by their barks. The purpose of the present experiment was to examine whether acoustic discrimination of individual non-primate heterospecifics is limited to species producing stereotyped signature songs, or whether it is possible with the vocalizations of other species as well. This was tested here with the calls of individual large-billed crows ( Corvus macrorhynchos ) and the meows of individual domestic cats ( Felis catus ) using a forced-choice Same-Different Paradigm. Results show a high discrimination accuracy without prior training, although the scores obtained here for both species were lower than those in the zebra finch discrimination task. Discrimination accuracy...

Individual variability in visual recognition memory of black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)

Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Recognition memory is an ability that allows animals to respond differentially to stimuli, individuals, or situations experienced in the past and plays an important role in foraging and social behavior. This ability has never been tested in black-handed spider monkeys ( Ateles geoffroyi ), but their social structure and diet force them to remember other individuals and food items. Therefore, they are a species in which to test whether their visual recognition memory depends on the retention interval (RI) and the list-length effect. Seven adult spider monkeys ( Ateles geoffroyi ) solved a delayed match-to-sample task where they had to touch a list of picture samples with different lengths (three, four, and five pictures). After that, they waited for different RIs (0, 15, and 30 s) to touch one of two pictures, signaling which was presented in the list. The group results indicate a high level of variability within individuals that overlap in each RI and position of the pictures...

Inducing Ethanol Tolerance in Free-Flying Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Fri, 9 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Ethanol dependency affects the health of more than 15 million adults in the United States of America. Honey bees have been used as a model for ethanol studies because of similarities in neural structure to vertebrates and their complex social behaviors. This study compares honey bee free-flight visitation to a food source after exposure to ethanol in aqueous sucrose. Individual bees were followed making 6 attachment visits to a test-station containing 1M sucrose. After attachment, honey bees were randomly assigned to one of five groups: 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 10% EtOH, or a staged increase in ethanol concentrations (2.5%, 5%, 10%). The results indicate that honey bees tolerate up to 2.5% EtOH without avoidance or altered behavior, and up to 5% EtOH without avoidance but with slower trips. At 10% ethanol, attrition was 75% by the 18th return trip. In the staged increase in concentration, bees were more likely to return than bees that were offered 10% ethanol in sucrose solution...

Deficient Play-Derived Experiences in Juvenile Long Evans Rats Reared with a Fischer 344 Partner: A Deficiency Shared by Both Sexes

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Play fighting during the juvenile period has been shown to be an important experience for the development of sociocognitive skills and the underlying neural mechanisms that support them. Various paradigms have been used to deprive rats of play while still providing social contact. We used the paradigm of rearing a playful rat with a low-playing Fischer 344 (F344) partner to limit the play experienced by Long Evans (LE) rats during the juvenile period. This rearing paradigm has previously been shown to cause sociocognitive impairments in adulthood. In the present paper, we examined the play of same sex LE rats with LE or F344 partners at the peak juvenile period (around 35 days of age). F344 rats launched fewer playful attacks and when attacked, defended atypically compared to how LE do in LE-LE pairs. Playing with an F344 partner afforded LE rats fewer opportunities to engage in prolonged wrestling and fewer opportunities to ward off counterattacks (in which the defending rat...

Comparison of Paired- and Multiple-Stimulus Preference Assessments using a Runway Task by Dogs

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Preference assessments identify foods that might be valued by an animal but do not capture differences in the magnitude of value. In combination with demand, the more effort required to acquire the commodity – the more valued and likely it is to function as an effective reinforcer for use in dog training. In the current experiment, two preference assessments' applicability was measured using a combination of choice assessment and effortful runway task. Eight dogs experienced a paired stimulus preference assessment and multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments combined with a 3-m runway task. The preference assessments identified different most-preferred foods, but the same least-preferred foods. The reinforcer assessment results showed that the dogs moved faster to obtain their most preferred food as identified by the multiple stimulus without replacement assessment compared to the most preferred foods identified in the paired stimulus assessment. The paired- ...

Decreased Key Pecking in Response to Reward Uncertainty Followed by Surprising Delay Extension in Pigeons

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Pavlovian autoshaping paradigm has often been used to assess the behavioral effects of reward omission on behavior. We trained pigeons to receive a food reward (unconditioned stimulus or UCS) following illumination of a response key (conditioned stimulus or CS). In Experiment 1, one group of pigeons was trained with two 100% predictive CS-UCS associations (reward certainty) and another group with two 25% predictive CS-UCS associations (reward uncertainty) for 12 sessions. In both groups, the two CS durations were 8 s. Then, in each group, the duration of one CS remained unchanged and that of the other CS was suddenly extended from 8 to 24 s for 6 sessions. In Experiment 2, some experienced individuals (from Experiment 1) and naïve individuals formed two groups trained with a 24-s CS throughout for 18 sessions. Our results show that pigeons (a) pecked less at the uncertain than the certain CS, (b) decreased and then increased CS-pecking after extending CS duration, especially...

Human and rat behavioral variability in the Dashiell maze: a comparative analysis

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

To assess their orientation in mazes, Dashiell (1930) developed a procedure allowing rats to reach the goal by utilizing paths of equal distance from the starting point. The main finding was the variety of new pathways the subjects took to reach the goal. Given the need for a task that might evaluate behavioral variability in humans, a simulation of the Dashiell procedure was developed: a virtual maze for human participants. With the goal of validating an animal model task for assessing human behavior variability, this study presents an experiment comparing rat and human performance when traversing a Dashiell maze. Results showed that rats in their maze and humans in the virtual version had similar path variability for reaching the goal; though humans showed higher dispersion from the mean. We conclude that the adaptive function of route variability in rats is similar to that in humans; thus the virtual Dashiell maze could become a reliable and straightforward task for assessing...

Comparison of exploratory behavior of two different animal species: woodlice (Armadillidium vulgare) and Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Exploratory behavior is a commonly used instrument in the study of animal behavior in the laboratory, usually using rodents. The goal of the present study was to investigate the exploratory behavior of woodlice (Armadillidium vulgare) and compare to the behavior of rats (Rattus norvegicus). For this, we used two of two common rat laboratory tests: the square open-field and another inspired in the rat Light/Dark box. In a first test, rats were submitted to a square open-field; woodlice were also submitted to an open-field adapted to their size. In a second test, rats were submitted to a Light/Dark box and the woodlice were submitted to a Dry/Moist box designed to be equivalent to the rat apparatus but adapted to woodlice size. Results of the first test showed both rats and woodlice explored the square open-fields in similar ways, both in terms of frequencies of entries in the areas and also in terms of the time spent in them. Subjects of both species occupied the corners more than...

Behavioural responses of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) to a dead conspecific

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Cetacean behaviour has long attracted scientific attention as humans endeavour to discover what makes these mammals so emotive and engaging. To date, much of this research has focussed on abundant and widely distributed cetacean species such as bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) and humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ). As an endangered and often evasive species, research regarding Irrawaddy dolphin ( Orcaella brevirostris ) behaviour is limited. This study uses data collected by The Cambodian Marine Mammal Conservation Project, to investigate the behavioural responses of Irrawaddy dolphins towards a dead conspecific. During a routine boat survey of Cambodia’s Kep Archipelago, the carcass of an adult female Irrawaddy dolphin was recovered and attached to the stern of the research vessel and promptly towed to the research island for further examination. During this survey, there was a four-fold increase in the number of Irrawaddy dolphin groups observed compared to...

Understanding and assessing emotions in marine mammals under professional care

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In the last 30 years, concerns about animal emotions have emerged from the general public but also from animal professionals and scientists. Animals are now considered as sentient beings, capable of experiencing emotions such as fear or pleasure. Understanding animals’ emotions is complex and important if we want to guarantee them the best care, management, and welfare. The main objectives of the paper are, first, to give a brief overview of various and contemporary assessments of emotions in animals, then to focus on particular zoo animals, that is, marine mammals, since they have drawn a lot of attention lately in regards of their life under professional care. We discuss here 1 approach to monitor their emotions by examining their laterality to finally conclude the importance of understanding animal emotion from a holistic welfare approach.

The teaching of comparative psychology: Exercises, experiences, and philosophy: A introduction to the special issue

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This special issue of the International Journal of Comparative Psychology is devoted to the teaching of comparative psychology. The 12 papers in this issue represent a wide range of activities and collectively provide the teacher of comparative psychology with over 50 inquiry-based activities. These activities include a variety of animal demonstrations using both vertebrates and invertebrates and those related to teaching the history of comparative psychology. To help increase interest in comparative psychology within a psychology department, there is a paper describing how aspects of clinical psychology can be incorporated into a course on comparative psychology. Teachers of comparative psychology will also find a paper on how the oriental art of origami can help students understand aspects of evolution. For teachers of comparative psychology that wish to incorporate behavioral technology into their classrooms, there are papers that describe how to...

Animal Minds in the Media: Learning outcomes for a critical-analysis assignment for students of comparative psychology

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Students of comparative cognition must learn to read and evaluate scholarly writings such as journal articles and textbooks, and to think critically about information they hear from talks and lectures from experts in the field. They also must develop a healthy skepticism for popular-media portrayals of the mental and behavioral competencies of animals, whether those appear in serious formats such as documentaries and non-refereed popular science magazines or blogs, or even in media portrayals of animals that are intended purely for entertainment. Across a ten-year period, students in either a senior psychology course or a freshman honors seminar completed multiple assignments each semester called “Animal Minds in the Media” requiring identification and evaluation of popular media portrayals of the cognitive capabilities of animals, viewed through the lens of the comparative-psychology literature. The assignment was designed to motivate students to cultivate scientific skepticism...

History in ten minutes: Two activities for promoting learning about the history of comparative psychology

Sat, 3 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The history of psychology is fascinating, and replete with important content for students to learn. The scholars and events that highlight the history of comparative psychology is no less compelling. However, there are many challenges in teaching the field’s history in a way that is engaging, inclusive, and comprehensive. One strategy for addressing these issues is to develop and employ a library of student-generated electronic tutorials that allow the introduction of under-represented groups and under-discussed contributors. In the present paper, we report the effectiveness of this strategy compared to several other class activities. Learning-outcome and student-evaluation data indicate that information introduced exclusively in these “Ten Minute of History” e-tutorials and academic ancestry presentations is learned to degrees at least comparable to those topics and contributors discussed in traditional lectures and readings. Without contending that these instructional activities...

Considerations for an Integrated Undergraduate Comparative and Clinical Psychology Course

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

It has been established that comparative psychology is in danger of becoming a footnote in the history of psychology. Six pieces of evidence to support this problem are few graduate psychology programs; little of no mention in introductory psychology textbooks or courses; insufficient number of undergraduate courses in comparative psychology; few teaching exercises; declining membership in Division 6 of APA; no recent textbooks in comparative psychology. Therefore, this article sought a viable solution to promote comparative psychology’s interconnections to different psychology areas. Specifically, a solution for combining comparative psychology into clinical fields by creating a course that combines comparative and clinical psychology was conceptualized. The rationales, history, barriers, benefits of creating a comparative and clinical psychology course were all examined to make a case for this solution. Concrete approaches to a course development covering domains such as...

Musings about the importance of Comparative Psychology: Reflections from undergraduate students

Sat, 5 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The sub-field of comparative psychology has ebbed and flowed since the establishment of the field of psychology. Today, comparative psychology is taught rarely as an elective, much less as a required course within psychology departments around the United States. Based on responses on a beginning of semester reflection assignment about the field of psychology, when first or second year undergraduate students are asked about their knowledge of psychology and the various fields within, most have never heard of comparative psychology. Those that have heard of comparative psychology from a high school course, the students rarely mention it freely. The purpose of this essay is to share the reflections of students who have completed an upper division elective comparative psychology course at a primarily undergraduate, Hispanic-serving institution. In this course, the students were asked to reflect on what they know about comparative psychology at the beginning of the course and to...

Workshop Effectiveness on Content Knowledge of Behavioral Observation Techniques for an Applied Animal Behavior Context

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Comparative psychology has a long history of investigating topics that promote comparisons across disciplines, constructs, and species. One critical component of comparative analyses is to select the best data collection technique. Unfortunately, these observational skills are not always taught to individuals who need them the most, animal care professionals. To demonstrate the applicability of appropriate data collection techniques to this applied discipline, we conducted a multi-day workshop that provided attendees training and practice with several data collection techniques that could be used to evaluate animal behavior in both spontaneous and enrichment-provided settings. The program included (1) a presentation on different data collection techniques and the types of questions each technique can address, (2) two 20-minute sessions of observation practice at two different facilities, (3) a final summary presentation of the data collected, and (4) pre- and post-surveys conducted...

The Use of Robotic Animals to Increase Interest in Comparative Psychology

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This project focuses on the use of robots to increase student interest in comparative psychology. Robots facilitate the development of critical thinking skills, problem solving ability, and apparatus design. Moreover, as behavioral apparatuses become more sophisticated, the use of robots can help increase the interactions between comparative psychologists and engineers. We provide details on how to construct a robotic squirrel. Our squirrel is a ground-based motion robot driven at variable speeds utilizing slip steering. It supports an on-board video system to record and monitor various behavioral patterns of small animals, primarily squirrels in this project, from a distance. It also includes an audio system, which can record and playback sounds to the animals, and a simple robot arm-like structure with two degree of freedom controlled by servos. An Android smart phone application was developed to control the motion and speed of the robot and other operational controls in...

Tardigrades as a Teaching Model of Learning

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This paper describes how to use tardigrades to demonstrate habituation. This experiment is designed for students with any level of experience or training in conditioning live organisms. In this experiment, tardigrades are desensitized to repeated physical touch. Tardigrades are placed under a microscope and poked with a probe until the strength of their response decreases to the point where there is no reaction for 10 consecutive trials. Once the habituation criteria are reached, a new stimulus is presented as a dishabituation control to ensure the subject responds appropriately to the new stimuli. Dishabituation is essential to show that the original response is still present even when a different stimulus is used to evoke that response. This experiment is easy to perform, does not require a lot of time or tools, and the effects are easily observed. We have added discussion questions and future research ideas to aid instructors in the classroom.

Cost-Effective Laboratory Exercises to Teach Principles in the Comparative Analysis of Behavior

Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The principles of the comparative analysis of behavior are as relevant now as it was in the time of Charles Darwin, George Romanes, and C. Lloyd Morgan. This article presents class exercises using animal and human action figures to provide students with hands-on experience demonstrating the importance of such principles and issues as classification, identification of independent and dependent variables, systematic variation, differences between homologies and analogies, the value of making valid comparisons, the importance of ethics, and the role of environmental and subject variables in the interpretation of species differences. Students are presented with a prescribed sequence of action figures differing in, for example, gender, race, and species. Initially, a single figure is presented, and students asked to consider various questions. A second figure is added which they must compare to the first. A third figure is subsequently presented and so on until the end of the exercise....

From Flatworms to Humans: Demonstration of Learning Principles Using Activities Developed by the Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology – Additional Exercises

Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Since the mid-1990s, the Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology at Oklahoma State University has developed a number of exercises appropriate for classroom use to demonstrate principles of learning and other forms of behavior. These activities have primarily focused on the use of invertebrates such as planarians, houseflies, earthworms, and honey bees. We have also developed exercises using fish based on an inexpensive apparatus called the “Fish Stick.” Other exercises to be discussed are “Salivary Conditioning in Humans;” “Project “Petscope” which turns local pet stores into animal behavior research centers; “Prey Preferences in Snakes”; and “Correspondence in the Classroom” which helps students learn to write letters to scientists in the field of learning research. These various teaching activities are summarized, and the advantages and limitations are discussed. Additional material developed since 2011 is included. This material includes a low cost microcontroller,...

The use of 3D Printing in Comparative Research and Teaching

Sun, 9 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The past decade has witnessed remarkable advancements in 3D printing or more scientifically called as additive manufacturing. Surprisingly, few comparative psychologists have taken advantage of 3D printing in the design of apparatus. Our paper discusses the advantages of 3D printing, the type of 3D printers (printing technologies) we have found most useful for various applications, offers practical suggestions on how engineers and comparative psychologists can communicate with each other on apparatus design issues and discuss how apparatus design with 3D printing can increase student interest in the STEM field. We first document that comparative/experimental psychologists seldom use 3D printer technology and then offer recommendations on how to increase the use of such technology in the behavioral sciences.

Animal Farm: Using Common Domestic Animals to Teach Comparative Psychology

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

As money for animal facilities at colleges and universities has declined, so too has the accessibility of students to hands-on experiences with animals. However, we know that laboratory experiences with animals provide students with better ideas of the challenges and joys of animal research. Faculty can be creative about using local resources or even their own pets to teach simple experiments in comparative cognition. This paper describes an animal lab utilizing locally available animals to test understanding of the human communicative gesture of a point. Outcomes of the lab provide interesting discussion for students, and students enjoy the experiences of using live animals to learn about comparative psychology.

Pattern and Process in Evolution: Unfolding Nature’s Origami

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Pattern and process are central concepts to understanding the evolution of behavioral traits for comparative psychologists. Origami is an art form which involves application of pattern and process to produce a wide array of objects using paper. Because of origami’s parallels with evolution, both of morphology and behavior, it can serve as a concrete and accessible analogy for students of comparative psychology. Origami’s processes can be reversed by unfolding the paper, thereby revealing patterns common across designs. Likewise, by studying pattern and process in evolution, scientists unfold nature’s origami. Application to comparative psychology and pedagogy are discussed.

Fish out of water: Insights from a case study of a highly social animal that failed the mirror self-recognition test

Mon, 18 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Mirror self-recognition (MSR) tests have been conducted with a variety of species with the aim of examining whether subject animals have the capacity for self-awareness. To date, the majority of animals that have convincingly passed are highly social mammals whose wild counterparts live in complex societies, though there is much debate concerning what constitutes passing and what passing means in terms of self-awareness. Amid recent reports that a fish (cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus ) passed, it is intriguing that a mammal as highly social, tolerant, attentive, and cooperative as the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) reportedly failed the test. Given the many possible reasons for failure, we aimed to elucidate the wolves’ responses at various stages of the MSR test to pinpoint potential problem areas where species-appropriate modifications to the test may be needed. Thus, we evaluated 6 socialized, captive grey wolves...

Flavor aversion learning based on running: A review

Mon, 11 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Wheel running establishes aversion in rats to a flavored solution consumed shortly before the running. Many studies have shown that this is a case of Pavlovian conditioning, in which the flavor and running respectively act as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). The present article introduces some procedural variables of this running-based flavor aversion learning (FAL), including subjects, CS agents, US agents, and drive operations. This article also summarize various behavioral features of Pavlovian conditioning demonstrated in running-based FAL including the law of contiguity despite long-delay learning, extinction and spontaneous recovery, CS-preexposure effect, remote and proximal US-preexposure effects, degraded contingency effect, inhibitory learning by backward conditioning, stimulus overshadowing, associative blocking, and higher-order contextual control. Also reviewed are several hypotheses proposed for the underlying psychophysiological...

Distinguishing personal belief from scientific knowledge for the betterment of killer whale welfare – a commentary

Thu, 5 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

We contest publication of Marino et al. regarding captive killer whale ( Orcinus orca ) welfare because of misrepresentations of available data and the use of citations that do not support assertions. Marino et al. misrepresent stress response concepts and erroneously cite studies, which appear to support Marino et al.’s philosophical beliefs regarding the cetacean hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. To be clear, these misrepresentations are not differences of scientific opinion, as the authors’ conclusions lack any scientific basis. More extensive review of Marino et al.’s citations reveal a dearth of empirical evidence to support their assertions. Further, Marino et al.’s approach to animal welfare is not consistent with conventional veterinary approaches to animal welfare, including their apparent opposition to use of preventative and therapeutic veterinary interventions. While Marino et al. argue that killer whales’ cognitive and spatial...

Do honey bees (Apis mellifera) form cognitive representations of unconditioned stimuli?

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research looking at expectancy in animals has used various experimental designs focusing on appetitive and avoidance behaviors. In this study, honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) were tested ina series of three proboscis extension response (PER) experiments to determine to what degree honey bees’ form a cognitive-representation of an unconditioned stimulus (US). Tthe first experiment, bees were presented with either a 2 sec. sucrose US or 2 sec. honey US appetitive reward and the proboscis-extension duration was measured under each scenario. The PER duration was longer for the honey US even though each US was presented for just 2 sec. Honey bees in the second experiment were tested during extinction trials on a conditioned stimulus (CS) of cinnamon or lavender that was paired with either the sucrose US or honey US in the acquisition trials. The proportion of bees showing the PER response to the CS was recorded for each extinction...

Discrimination of person odor by owned domestic dogs