Learning to learn during visual discrimination in group housed dwarf goats (Capra hircus).

Abstract

Using an automated learning device, we investigated "learning to learn" by dwarf goats (Capra hircus) in what was for them a familiar environment and normal social settings. Nine problems, each consisting of four discriminable black symbols, each with one S-super+ and three different S-super(-), were presented on a computer screen. Mean daily learning success improved over the course of the first four problems, and the improvement was maintained throughout the remaining five problems. The number of trials to reach the learning criterion decreased significantly beginning with problem four. Such results may be interpreted as evidence that the goats were developing a learning set. In the present case, the learning set appeared to have two components. One involved gaining familiarity and apparent understanding of the learning device and the basic requirements of the discrimination task. The second component involved learning potential error factors to be ignored, as well as learning commonalities that carried over from one problem to the next. Among the error factors, evidence of apparent preferences for specific symbols was seen, which had a predictable effect on performances.

Precision livestock production: tools and concepts

“…Species-specific information is necessary for development of training programs because innate predispositions are likely to differ depending on the environments where behaviors evolved. For example, Langbein et al, (2007a) determined that goats have a preference for certain symbols, and that learning can be enhanced or slowed depending on which symbols are associated with the reward. Moreover, the ability to learn tasks that depend on discrimination of stimuli depends on perceptual ability, which is typically different among species.…”

The cognitive capabilities of farm animals: categorisation learning in dwarf goats (Capra hircus)

“…Both problems contained the jagged-margin symbol, and performance was lowest in N15 when this symbol was used as the rewarded symbol. We know from the previous studies that dwarf goats possess an outstanding ability to discriminate complex symbols (Langbein et al 2007a(Langbein et al , 2008. However, in these studies, we also found that goats sometimes had diYculties in discriminating or avoiding a speciWc symbol.…”

“…Only the Wrsttrial performance for each new problem was analysed during the transfer test. (Hanggi 1999;Langbein et al 2007a). The number of trials per individual and per day was always greater than 20 (mean 71.1 § 11.2).…”

“…In a previous study, however, goats were trained on a number of consecutive discrimination problems and were able to use previously learned information to facilitate subsequent learning. They began to acquire a 'learning set' (Harlow 1949) instead of treating each new problem as a completely new task (Langbein et al 2007a). In contrast, categorisation is the process by which animals learn about speciWc features common to all members of a class (Huber 1995).…”

“…2a). We have shown that the visual acuity of dwarf goats allows them to discriminate simple and complex symbols on a LCD screen (Langbein et al 2007a(Langbein et al , 2008. A water bowl was attached 20 cm below the screen.…”