Individual-learning ability predicts social-foraging strategy in house sparrows

Abstract

Social foragers can use either a 'producer' strategy, which involves searching for food, or a 'scrounger' strategy, which involves joining others' food discoveries. While producers rely on personal information and past experience, we may ask whether the tendency to forage as a producer is related to being a better learner. To answer this question, we hand-raised house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings that upon independence were given an individual-learning task that required them to associate colour signal and food presence. Following the testing phase, all fledglings were released into a shared aviary, and their social-foraging tendencies were measured. We found a significant positive correlation between individual's performance in the individual-learning task and subsequent tendency to use searching (producing) behaviour. Individual-learning score was negatively correlated with initial fear of the test apparatus and with body weight. However, the correlation between individual learning and searching remained significant after controlling for these variables. Since it was measured before the birds entered a social group, individual-learning ability could not be the outcome of being a producer. However, the two traits may be initially associated, or individual learning could facilitate producing behaviour. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that associates individual-learning abilities with social-foraging strategies in animal groups.

Stability of the guinea pigs personality – cognition – linkage over time

“…Additionally, a linkage between foraging tactic and learning performance has been reported in house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Sparrows that are better in associating a colour cue with a food reward were also more likely to produce in a social foraging context (Katsnelson et al 2011). Given these findings, guinea pigs that are better in learning to associate a size of an object with a reward might also be more engaged in producing during foraging.…”

The Evolution of Individual and Cultural Variation in Social Learning

“…Many vocalising bird and cetacean species 28 acquire their vocalisations during a juvenile sensitive period [7,86]. In humans, field studies have 29…”

“…Others have found that performance in an asocial learning task subsequently 115 predicts social information use, although again in opposite directions: two studies found that better 116 individual learners were more likely to use social information [41,42], two studies that they were 117 less likely [43,44]. Three studies with humans have linked social learning to relatively stable 118 individual differences, specifically social dominance [45], collectivism [46] and IQ [47].…”

Linking behavioural syndromes and cognition: a behavioural ecology perspective

“…Furthermore, asocial individuals might be more likely to disperse from groups [35] and thus not only be alone, but also be in novel environments where rapid individual learning can be critical for survival [35]. These differences in cognitive style can translate into different social roles; for example, in house sparrows, the tendency to be a producer (to find food) rather than a scrounger (use social information) is positively associated with individual learning ability [36].…”