Memory for own actions in parrots
Abstract The ability to recall one’s past actions is a crucial prerequisite for mental self-representation and episodic memory. We studied whether blue-throated macaws, a social macaw species, can remember their previous actions. The parrots were trained to repeat four previously learned actions upo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25199-x |
| _version_ | 1811207959971102720 |
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| author | Sara Torres Ortiz Simeon Q. Smeele Juliette Champenois Auguste M. P. von Bayern |
| author_facet | Sara Torres Ortiz Simeon Q. Smeele Juliette Champenois Auguste M. P. von Bayern |
| author_sort | Sara Torres Ortiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The ability to recall one’s past actions is a crucial prerequisite for mental self-representation and episodic memory. We studied whether blue-throated macaws, a social macaw species, can remember their previous actions. The parrots were trained to repeat four previously learned actions upon command. Test sessions included repeat trials, double repeat trials and trials without repeat intermixed to test if the parrots repeated correctly, only when requested and not relying on a representation of the last behavioral command. Following their success, the parrots also received sessions with increasing time delays preceding the repeat command and successfully mastered 12–15 s delays. The parrots successfully transferred the repeat command spontaneously at first trial to three newly trained behaviors they had never repeated before, and also succeeded in a second trial intermixed with already trained actions (untrained repeat tests). This corroborates that successful repeating is not just an artifact of intense training but that blue-throated macaws can transfer the abstract “repeat rule” to untrained action. It also implies that an important aspect of self-representation has evolved in this avian group and might be adaptive, which is consistent with the complex socio-ecological environment of parrots and previous demonstrations of their complex cognition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:13:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0717221408e348409253b746097c304a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:13:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-0717221408e348409253b746097c304a2022-12-22T03:48:27ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-11-0112111010.1038/s41598-022-25199-xMemory for own actions in parrotsSara Torres Ortiz0Simeon Q. Smeele1Juliette Champenois2Auguste M. P. von Bayern3Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in FoundationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorMax Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in FoundationMax Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in FoundationAbstract The ability to recall one’s past actions is a crucial prerequisite for mental self-representation and episodic memory. We studied whether blue-throated macaws, a social macaw species, can remember their previous actions. The parrots were trained to repeat four previously learned actions upon command. Test sessions included repeat trials, double repeat trials and trials without repeat intermixed to test if the parrots repeated correctly, only when requested and not relying on a representation of the last behavioral command. Following their success, the parrots also received sessions with increasing time delays preceding the repeat command and successfully mastered 12–15 s delays. The parrots successfully transferred the repeat command spontaneously at first trial to three newly trained behaviors they had never repeated before, and also succeeded in a second trial intermixed with already trained actions (untrained repeat tests). This corroborates that successful repeating is not just an artifact of intense training but that blue-throated macaws can transfer the abstract “repeat rule” to untrained action. It also implies that an important aspect of self-representation has evolved in this avian group and might be adaptive, which is consistent with the complex socio-ecological environment of parrots and previous demonstrations of their complex cognition.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25199-x |
| spellingShingle | Sara Torres Ortiz Simeon Q. Smeele Juliette Champenois Auguste M. P. von Bayern Memory for own actions in parrots Scientific Reports |
| title | Memory for own actions in parrots |
| title_full | Memory for own actions in parrots |
| title_fullStr | Memory for own actions in parrots |
| title_full_unstemmed | Memory for own actions in parrots |
| title_short | Memory for own actions in parrots |
| title_sort | memory for own actions in parrots |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25199-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT saratorresortiz memoryforownactionsinparrots AT simeonqsmeele memoryforownactionsinparrots AT juliettechampenois memoryforownactionsinparrots AT augustempvonbayern memoryforownactionsinparrots |