Invertebrate learning and cognition: relating phenomena to neural substrate

Abstract

Diverse invertebrate species have been used for studies of learning and comparative cognition. Although we have gained invaluable information from this, in this study we argue that our approach to comparative learning research is rather deficient. Generally invertebrate learning research has focused mainly on arthropods, and most of that within the Hymenoptera and Diptera. Any true comparative analysis of the distribution of comparative cognitive abilities across phyla is hampered by this bias, and more fundamentally by a reporting bias toward positive results. To understand the limits of learning and cognition for a species, knowing what animals cannot do is at least as important as reporting what they can. Finally, much more effort needs to be focused on the neurobiological analysis of different types of learning to truly understand the differences and similarities of learning types. In this review, we first give a brief overview of the various forms of learning in invertebrates. We also suggest areas where further study is needed for a more comparative understanding of learning. Finally, using what is known of learning in honeybees and the well-studied honeybee brain, we present a model of how various complex forms of learning may be accounted for with the same neural circuitry required for so-called simple learning types. At the neurobiological level, different learning phenomena are unlikely to be independent, and without considering this it is very difficult to correctly interpret the phylogenetic distribution of learning and cognitive abilities. WIREs Cogn Sci 2013, 4:561-582. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1248 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

An Assessment of Fixed Interval Timing in Free-Flying Honey Bees (Apis mellifera ligustica): An Analysis of Individual Performance

“…No individual subject produced evidence of interval timing when assessing both response rate and PRP. While we did not produce evidence of timing behaviors in honey bees when responses are reinforced on fixed interval schedules, this lack of evidence contributes to a growing body of work that cautions the use of anthropomorphic assumptions when concerning invertebrate learning; understanding what species are or are not able to perform complex behaviors is critical from a comparative perspective [78]. The reported findings connect the divergence between previous invertebrate temporal investigations and cautions against drawing conclusions of timing when only analyzing group data.…”

The Strategic Use of Venom by Spiders

“…Unfortunately, authors continue to differ in how they define cognition, which ranges from more general concepts, including any use of information from the environment, to the need for higher-order processing (beyond the normal stimulus-response pathway), such as cognitive maps, planning, and concept learning (e.g., Menzel 2013;Perry et al 2013;Shettleworth 2013). In part due to their relative structural and neurological simplicity, spiders have proven to be useful models for exploring the features of behavioral decision making and cognition (Jackson and Cross 2011).…”

“…The act of venom deployment, whether it occurs via a simple stimulus-response reflex or by more complex decision making (Jackson and Cross 2011), potentially including cognition, which remains an ill-defined concept (Menzel 2013;Perry et al 2013;Shettleworth 2013), is generally triggered by stimuli that exceed a threshold. In the case of predation, subthreshold stimuli arising from relatively small, harmless, or unresponsive prey may result in prey capture and consumption without envenomation (Hayes et al 2002;Malli et al 1998;Wigger et al 2002).…”

Electric shock for aversion training of jumping spiders: Towards an arachnid model of avoidance learning

“…Avoidance learning has been well characterized in invertebrates (Perry et al, 2013) but as with research on other aspects of cognition, investigations have focused heavily on a narrow range of model organisms. One of the primary goals of comparative cognition is to trace the evolutionary development of cognition by comparing the mechanisms employed by different taxa in solving analogous computational tasks (Soto and Wasserman, 2010).…”