Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens.
Sensitivity to inequity is considered to be a crucial cognitive tool in the evolution of human cooperation. The ability has recently been shown also in primates and dogs, raising the question of an evolutionary basis of inequity aversion. We present first evidence that two bird species are sensitive...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3577644?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1828381604013146112 |
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| author | Claudia A F Wascher Thomas Bugnyar |
| author_facet | Claudia A F Wascher Thomas Bugnyar |
| author_sort | Claudia A F Wascher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sensitivity to inequity is considered to be a crucial cognitive tool in the evolution of human cooperation. The ability has recently been shown also in primates and dogs, raising the question of an evolutionary basis of inequity aversion. We present first evidence that two bird species are sensitive to other individuals' efforts and payoffs. In a token exchange task we tested both behavioral responses to inequity in the quality of reward (preferred versus non-preferred food) and to the absence of reward in the presence of a rewarded partner, in 5 pairs of corvids (6 crows, 4 ravens). Birds decreased their exchange performance when the experimental partner received the reward as a gift, which indicates that they are sensitive to other individuals' working effort. They also decreased their exchange performance in the inequity compared with the equity condition. Notably, corvids refused to take the reward after a successful exchange more often in the inequity compared with the other conditions. Our findings indicate that awareness to other individuals' efforts and payoffs may evolve independently of phylogeny in systems with a given degree of social complexity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:17:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a69c0b8e4f14629831e1437deb64adf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:17:54Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a69c0b8e4f14629831e1437deb64adf2022-12-22T02:02:32ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0182e5688510.1371/journal.pone.0056885Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens.Claudia A F WascherThomas BugnyarSensitivity to inequity is considered to be a crucial cognitive tool in the evolution of human cooperation. The ability has recently been shown also in primates and dogs, raising the question of an evolutionary basis of inequity aversion. We present first evidence that two bird species are sensitive to other individuals' efforts and payoffs. In a token exchange task we tested both behavioral responses to inequity in the quality of reward (preferred versus non-preferred food) and to the absence of reward in the presence of a rewarded partner, in 5 pairs of corvids (6 crows, 4 ravens). Birds decreased their exchange performance when the experimental partner received the reward as a gift, which indicates that they are sensitive to other individuals' working effort. They also decreased their exchange performance in the inequity compared with the equity condition. Notably, corvids refused to take the reward after a successful exchange more often in the inequity compared with the other conditions. Our findings indicate that awareness to other individuals' efforts and payoffs may evolve independently of phylogeny in systems with a given degree of social complexity.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3577644?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Claudia A F Wascher Thomas Bugnyar Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens. PLoS ONE |
| title | Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens. |
| title_full | Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens. |
| title_fullStr | Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens. |
| title_short | Behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens. |
| title_sort | behavioral responses to inequity in reward distribution and working effort in crows and ravens |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3577644?pdf=render |
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