Newborn chickens generate invariant object representations at the onset of visual object experience

Wood, Joanne V.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1308246110

Cited by 86 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Hence, a first explanation for the decrease of the predisposed preference for the stuffed hen observed in some chicks is the absence of feedback from the stimulus. Second, chicks search exposure to novel stimuli before the filial imprinting process is terminated, likely to form a more comprehensive representation of it that enables recognition from novel points of view353637. Consistent evidence has shown that, especially in the early stages of imprinting, the tendency to approach the familiar object can be temporarily reversed (e.g 30363839…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Newborn chicks show inherited variability in early social predispositions for hen-like stimuli

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Fracasso

Baldan³

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Predispositions of newborn vertebrates to preferentially attend to living beings and learn about them are pervasive. Their disturbance (e.g. in neonates at risk for autism), may compromise the proper development of a social brain. The genetic bases of such predispositions are unknown. We use the well-known visual preferences of newly-hatched chicks (Gallus gallus) for the head/neck region of the hen to investigate the presence of segregating variation in the predispositions to approach a stuffed hen vs. a scrambled version of it. We compared the spontaneous preferences of three breeds maintained genetically isolated for at least eighteen years while identically raised. Visually-naïve chicks of all breeds (Padovana, Polverara and Robusta maculata) showed the same initial preference for the predisposed stimulus, suggesting that the direction of the initial preference might be genetically fixed. A few minutes later though, striking differences emerged between breeds, which could indicate different strategies of dealing with affiliative objects: while the Polverara breed maintained a constant preference across the entire test, the Padovana and Robusta breeds progressively explored the alternative stimulus more. We hence documented the presence of inherited genetic variability in the expression of early social predispositions in interaction with environmental stimuli.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Newborn chicks show inherited variability in early social predispositions for hen-like stimuli

Versace

Fracasso

Baldan³

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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“… Average recognition performance for the present study and for Experiment 1 from Wood (2013). The same two virtual objects were used in both studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A chicken model for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition

Wood

2015

Front. Neural Circuits

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“Invariant object recognition” refers to the ability to recognize objects across variation in their appearance on the retina. This ability is central to visual perception, yet its developmental origins are poorly understood. Traditionally, nonhuman primates, rats, and pigeons have been the most commonly used animal models for studying invariant object recognition. Although these animals have many advantages as model systems, they are not well suited for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition in the newborn brain. Here, we argue that newly hatched chicks (Gallus gallus) are an ideal model system for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition. Using an automated controlled-rearing approach, we show that chicks can build a viewpoint-invariant representation of the first object they see in their life. This invariant representation can be built from highly impoverished visual input (three images of an object separated by 15° azimuth rotations) and cannot be accounted for by low-level retina-like or V1-like neuronal representations. These results indicate that newborn neural circuits begin building invariant object representations at the onset of vision and argue for an increased focus on chicks as an animal model for studying invariant object recognition.

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“…The animations are presented in electronic supplementary material, movies S1-S3. The object appeared for an equal amount of time on the left and right display walls, switching walls every 2 h. The virtual objects were modelled after those used in previous studies that tested for invariant object recognition in adult rats [7,8] and newborn chicks [12][13][14]. Half of the chicks were imprinted to each of the two objects, with the other object serving as the novel object.…”

Section: Iii) Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The development of newborn object recognition in fast and slow visual worlds

Wood

2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Object recognition is central to perception and cognition. Yet relatively little is known about the environmental factors that cause invariant object recognition to emerge in the newborn brain. Is this ability a hardwired property of vision? Or does the development of invariant object recognition require experience with a particular kind of visual environment? Here, we used a high-throughput controlled-rearing method to examine whether newborn chicks (Gallus gallus) require visual experience with slowly changing objects to develop invariant object recognition abilities. When newborn chicks were raised with a slowly rotating virtual object, the chicks built invariant object representations that generalized across novel viewpoints and rotation speeds. In contrast, when newborn chicks were raised with a virtual object that rotated more quickly, the chicks built viewpoint-specific object representations that failed to generalize to novel viewpoints and rotation speeds. Moreover, there was a direct relationship between the speed of the object and the amount of invariance in the chick's object representation. Thus, visual experience with slowly changing objects plays a critical role in the development of invariant object recognition. These results indicate that invariant object recognition is not a hardwired property of vision, but is learned rapidly when newborns encounter a slowly changing visual world.

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Newborn chickens generate invariant object representations at the onset of visual object experience

Cited by 86 publications

References 46 publications

Newborn chicks show inherited variability in early social predispositions for hen-like stimuli

Newborn chicks show inherited variability in early social predispositions for hen-like stimuli

A chicken model for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition

The development of newborn object recognition in fast and slow visual worlds

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