Vibration as an effective stimulus for aversive conditioning in jumping spiders

Abstract

Previous work has shown that jumping spiders are able to associate visual cues with shock. We tested the efficacy of vibration as an aversive stimulus. Phidippus audax (Hentz 1845) (Salticidae) were first allowed to choose between two video stimuli, a cricket and an oval. We then tethered spiders so they were oriented toward their preferred stimulus with their tarsi touching a platform, either vibrated by a motor (experimental group) or with the motor turned off (control group). Spiders were then given a second opportunity to choose between the stimuli. Experimental spiders were significantly less likely to choose the stimulus that they viewed during training compared to control spiders. Spiders stalked and ate prey soon after experiencing the training procedure, suggesting that vibration caused no lasting harm. In addition, freely moving spiders avoided a vibrating platform, supporting the assertion that the vibration itself is aversive.

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

“…Our approach overcomes many of the constraints associated with previous methods, such as inconsistent shock delivery, manufacturing complexity and cost (discussed in Long et al, 2015). Since grid spacing and overall platform design are defined in computer software, measurements are precise, and most importantly, virtually identical across all platforms printed using a given design.…”

Extended spider cognition

“…The jumping spiders have been shown to learn to produce the deceptive vibratory signal by trial and error (Jackson and Nelson 2011 ). That jumping spiders can learn this is not surprising, considering that they can learn associations between vibration and other stimuli (Long et al 2015 ) and can reverse previously learned associations between stimuli (Liedtke and Schneider 2014 ).…”