Exploration of a novel space is associated with individual differences in learning speed in black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus

Guillette, Lauren M.; Reddon, Adam R.; Hurd, Peter L.; Sturdy, Christopher B.

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2009.07.005

Cited by 149 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…We expected to find that chickadees which were faster to explore the novel environment would learn the discrimination task (Bþ C2) faster than slow-exploring birds, in accordance with Guillette et al [6]. Interestingly, this finding was not replicated in the current study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

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Sometimes slower is better: slow-exploring birds are more sensitive to changes in a vocal discrimination task

et al. 2010

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Animal personality, defined as consistent individual differences across context and time, has attracted much recent research interest in the study of animal behaviour. More recently, this field has begun to examine how such variation arose and is maintained within populations. The habitat-dependent selection hypothesis, which posits that animals with differing personality types may fare better (i.e. have a fitness advantage) in different habitats, suggests one possible mechanism. In the current experiment, we tested whether slow-and fast-exploring black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), determined by performance in a novel environment exploration task, perform differentially when the demands of an acoustic operant discrimination (cognitive) task were altered following successful task acquisition. We found that slow-exploring birds learn to reverse previously learned natural category rules more quickly than faster exploring conspecifics. In accordance with the habitat-dependent selection hypothesis, and previous work with great tits (Parus major), a close relative of the black-capped chickadee, our results suggest that fast-exploring birds may perform better in stable, predictable environments where forming a routine is advantageous, while slow-exploring birds are favoured in unstable, unpredictable environments, where task demands often change. Our results also support a hypothesis derived from previous work with great tits; slow-exploring birds may be generally more flexible (i.e. able to modify their behaviour in accordance with changes in environmental stimuli) in some learning tasks.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…As species are added to this list (e.g. [5][6][7]; see [8][9][10] for recent reviews), so too are new behavioural characteristics being linked to existing suites of correlated traits (e.g. boldness correlates with aggressiveness [11]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sometimes slower is better: slow-exploring birds are more sensitive to changes in a vocal discrimination task

et al. 2010

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“…This study is another in a growing body of work (see Table 1) showing that how an animal explores a novel environment is related to some aspect of cognitive performance. Initial investigations of the personality/cognition relationship focused on learning speed suggested perhaps that acquisition rate (i.e., learning) is faster when an animal explores more because exploration, ipso facto, put animals in contact with more to-be-associated stimuli compared to animals that explore less (Dugatkin and Alfieri, 2003;Guillette et al, 2009;Sneddon, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Fast-explorers learn new appetitive tasks more quickly than slow-explorers (black-capped chickadees Poecile atricapillus Guillette et al, 2009; Panamanian bishop fish Brachyrhaphis episcopi DePasquale et al, 2014), whereas slow-explorers perform better than fast-explorers on reversal learning (black-capped chickadees Guillette et al, 2011;great tits Verbeek et al, 1994; but see Amy et al 2012 where the oppostie was found in great tits) or avoidance learning tasks (great tits Exnerová et al, 2010). Most of the experiments on exploratory behavioural and cognition have focused on variation in learning speed (also called learning rate, e.g., trials to reach learning criteria, marked with 'A' for information acquisition in Table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fast- and slow-exploring pigeons differ in how they use previously learned rules

Guillette

Baron

Sturdy

2017

Behavioural Processes

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Please cite this article as: Guillette, L.M., Baron, D.M., Sturdy, C.B., Spetch, M.L., Fastand slow-exploring pigeons differ in how they use previously learned rules.Behavioural Processes http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.beproc.2016.07.006 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. AbstractSeveral studies report a correlation between exploratory behaviour and performance on tests of cognitive ability. Exploration may influence learning because less exploratory animals are less likely to come in contact with to-be-learned stimuli. Alternatively, the way information available in the environment is processed could influence the rate of exploration. Pigeons are one of the most-studied species used to examine the mechanisms underlying cognitive abilities, but have not been used to examine the relationship between these abilities and animal personality. Here, twelve pigeons were first tested in a novel environment to assess repeatability in exploratory behaviour. Pigeons were then trained to discriminate between two visual stimuli: lines oriented at 90° (vertical, the S+) and 135° (the S-). After training pigeons underwent generalization testing with ten additional visual line orientation stimuli. We found exploratory behaviour was related to generalization performance: fast-explorers had steeper generalization gradients compared to slow-explorers. This effect was only seen in the direction towards the S-. These results suggest that birds with different exploratory styles differ in how they use previously learned information. Further testing is needed to confirm which cue(s) (S+ or S-) control the behaviour of fast-explorers.

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“…Empirical studies have found such a link (e.g. Amy et al 2012;Guillette et al 2009;Titulaer et al 2012), at least when exploring some aspects of personality and cognition (Griffin et al 2015). The observed link has been suggested by theoretical models to reflect a speed-accuracy trade-off in which individuals with varying personality have different cognitive styles, describing cognitive traits, independent of cognitive ability (Sih & Del Giudice 2012).…”

Section: Animal Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between personality and cognitionin the fowl, Gallus gallus

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Exploration of a novel space is associated with individual differences in learning speed in black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus

Cited by 149 publications

References 34 publications

Sometimes slower is better: slow-exploring birds are more sensitive to changes in a vocal discrimination task

Sometimes slower is better: slow-exploring birds are more sensitive to changes in a vocal discrimination task

Fast- and slow-exploring pigeons differ in how they use previously learned rules

The relationship between personality and cognitionin the fowl, Gallus gallus

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