Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird
Most animals can discriminate between pairs of numbers that are each less than four without training. However, North Island robins (Petroica longipes), a food hoarding songbird endemic to New Zealand, can discriminate between quantities of items as high as eight without training. Here we investigat...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2012-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00584/full |
| _version_ | 1818030972731392000 |
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| author | Nicola eArmstrong Alexis eGarland Kevin Chase Burns |
| author_facet | Nicola eArmstrong Alexis eGarland Kevin Chase Burns |
| author_sort | Nicola eArmstrong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most animals can discriminate between pairs of numbers that are each less than four without training. However, North Island robins (Petroica longipes), a food hoarding songbird endemic to New Zealand, can discriminate between quantities of items as high as eight without training. Here we investigate whether robins are capable of other complex quantity discrimination tasks. We test whether their ability to discriminate between small quantities declines with 1. the number of cache sites containing prey rewards and 2. the length of time separating cache creation and retrieval (retention interval). Results showed that subjects generally performed above chance expectations. They were equally able to discriminate between different combinations of prey quantities that were hidden from view in 2, 3 and 4 cache sites from between 1, 10 and 60 seconds. Overall results indicate that North Island robins can process complex quantity information involving more than two discrete quantities of items for up to one minute long retention intervals without training. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T05:44:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-11366563cff84963a52a53fc5a242b28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T05:44:05Z |
| publishDate | 2012-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-11366563cff84963a52a53fc5a242b282022-12-22T02:00:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782012-12-01310.3389/fpsyg.2012.0058435452Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbirdNicola eArmstrong0Alexis eGarland1Kevin Chase Burns2Victoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of WellingtonMost animals can discriminate between pairs of numbers that are each less than four without training. However, North Island robins (Petroica longipes), a food hoarding songbird endemic to New Zealand, can discriminate between quantities of items as high as eight without training. Here we investigate whether robins are capable of other complex quantity discrimination tasks. We test whether their ability to discriminate between small quantities declines with 1. the number of cache sites containing prey rewards and 2. the length of time separating cache creation and retrieval (retention interval). Results showed that subjects generally performed above chance expectations. They were equally able to discriminate between different combinations of prey quantities that were hidden from view in 2, 3 and 4 cache sites from between 1, 10 and 60 seconds. Overall results indicate that North Island robins can process complex quantity information involving more than two discrete quantities of items for up to one minute long retention intervals without training.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00584/fullMemorynumberNew Zealand robinfield experimentcache |
| spellingShingle | Nicola eArmstrong Alexis eGarland Kevin Chase Burns Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird Frontiers in Psychology Memory number New Zealand robin field experiment cache |
| title | Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird |
| title_full | Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird |
| title_fullStr | Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird |
| title_full_unstemmed | Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird |
| title_short | Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird |
| title_sort | memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food hoarding songbird |
| topic | Memory number New Zealand robin field experiment cache |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00584/full |
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