DoGreat Grey Owls Comprehend Means–end Relationships?

Obozova, T. A.; Zorina, Z. A.

doi:10.46867/ijcp.2013.26.03.04

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…The ability to solve a vertical string-pulling problem comes about 2 months later in both human and gorilla infants (Redshaw, 1978); and a few days later in yellow-crowned parakeets (Funk, 2002). Many animals require more time to solve vertical problems, if they can solve them at all (Adams, 1929; Bagotskaya, Smirnova, & Zorina, 2012; Heinrich, 1995; Hobhouse, 1915; Jolly, 1964a, 1964b; McDougall & McDougall, 1927; Obozova & Zorina, 2013).…”

Section: Horizontal and Vertical Orientation Of String-pulling Setupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This indicates that although these species are goal-directed toward a reward they do not pay close attention to the configuration of the strings or do not understand that the proximal end of a string has to be in contact with the reward for it to be obtainable. Note that, even if the same subjects are tested on both conditions, they are either often not statistically compared, or there is a lack of counterbalance in the method (Bagotskaya et al, 2012; Klüver, 1961; Obozova & Zorina, 2013; Povinelli, 2000; Range et al, 2012; Schmidt & Cook, 2006).…”

Section: Common Cognitive Investigations With Different String Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If string-pulling techniques result mainly from hardwired behavior, they ought to be species-specific. This appears not to be the case; for example, many species that use their feet in feeding are reported to use various techniques when pulling strings—both between and within individuals (e.g., Bagotskaya et al, 2010; Colbert-White et al, 2013; Heinrich, 1995; Krasheninnikova & Wanker, 2010; Laidre, 2008; Medina, 2012; Obozova & Zorina, 2013; Obozova et al, 2014; Seibt & Wickler, 2006; Taylor, Medina, et al, 2010; Thorpe, 1963; Werdenich & Huber, 2006). The fact that there are considerable inter- and intraindividual variation and strong learning effects make it unlikely that string pulling is governed completely by innate processes.…”

Section: Ecology Evolution and Anatomymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The string-pulling paradigm in comparative psychology.

Jacobs¹,

Osvath²

2015

Journal of Comparative Psychology

102

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String pulling is one of the most widely used paradigms in comparative psychology. First documented 2 millennia ago, it has been a well-established scientific paradigm for a century. More than 160 bird and mammal species have been tested in over 200 studies with countless methodological variations. The paradigm can be used to address a wide variety of issues on animal cognition; for example, what animals understand about contact and connection as well as whether they rely on perceptual feedback, grasp the functionality of strings, generalize across conditions, apply their knowledge flexibly, and possess insight. Mammals are typically tested on a horizontal configuration, birds on a vertical one, making the studies difficult to compare; in particular, pulling a string vertically requires better coordination and attention. A species' performance on the paradigm is often influenced by its ecology, especially concerning whether limbs are used for foraging. Many other factors can be of importance and should be considered. The string-pulling paradigm is easy to administer, vary, and apply to investigate a wide array of cognitive abilities. Although it can be and has been used to compare species, divergent methods and unclear reporting have limited its comparative utility. With increasing research standards, the paradigm is expected to become an even more fundamental tool in comparative psychology.

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Section: Horizontal and Vertical Orientation Of String-pulling Setupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Common Cognitive Investigations With Different String Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ecology Evolution and Anatomymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The string-pulling paradigm in comparative psychology.

Jacobs¹,

Osvath²

2015

Journal of Comparative Psychology

102

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Ground-hornbills (Bucorvus) show means-end understanding in a horizontal two-string discrimination task

Danel

Bayern

2018

J Ethol

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Kea (Nestor notabilis) fail a loose-string connectivity task

Bastos

Wood

Taylor

2021

Sci Rep

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Naïve individuals of some bird species can rapidly solve vertical string-pulling tasks with virtually no errors. This has led to various hypotheses being proposed which suggest that birds mentally simulate the effects of their actions on strings. A competing embodied cognition hypothesis proposes that this behaviour is instead modulated by perceptual-motor feedback loops, where feedback of the reward moving closer acts as an internal motivator for functional behaviours, such as pull-stepping. To date, the kea parrot has produced some of the best performances of any bird species at string-pulling tasks. Here, we tested the predictions of the four leading hypotheses for the cognition underpinning bird string-pulling by presenting kea with a horizontal connectivity task where only one of two loose strings was connected to the reward, both before and after receiving perceptual-motor feedback experience. We find that kea fail the connectivity task both before and after perceptual-motor feedback experience, suggesting not only that kea do not mentally simulate their string-pulling actions, but also that perceptual-motor feedback alone is insufficient in eliciting successful performance in the horizontal connectivity task. This suggests a more complex interplay of cognitive factors underlies this iconic example of animal problem-solving.

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DoGreat Grey Owls Comprehend Means–end Relationships?

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

The string-pulling paradigm in comparative psychology.

The string-pulling paradigm in comparative psychology.

Ground-hornbills (Bucorvus) show means-end understanding in a horizontal two-string discrimination task

Kea (Nestor notabilis) fail a loose-string connectivity task

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