Ants Can Anticipatively and Correctly Increment the Last Quantity of a Learned Arithmetic Sequence

Abstract

It has previously been shown that Myrmica sabuleti ant workers trained to an increasing (1 to 4) or decreasing (5 to 2) arithmetic sequence can expect that the next quantity will be larger or smaller. Here we show that they anticipate the exact next quantity by correctly incrementing the last quantity of the learned sequence by +1 or -1 and not by +2 or -2. Correctly anticipating the following quantity in an arithmetic sequence may result from the ants’ ability of acquiring conditioning, of memorizing lived events, and of perceiving the running time.

Challenging the safety and efficiency of homeopathy: investigating a step further for “placebo-like” effect on ants as model organisms

“…12,13 They detain several numerosity abilities, can expect the occurrence of an event on the basis of previous such occurrences, recognize themselves in a mirror, to name just a few of their abilities. [14][15][16][17] We here once more used M. sabuleti as a model for studying the efficiency of a homeopathic placebo.…”

A Synthesis of Six Recent Studies on Numerosity Abilities in an Ant

“…For the first one, the stands bore 1 to 5 blue or yellow circles (diameter = 0.2 cm) (Cammaerts & Cammaerts, 2021a). For the second study, the cues were 1 to 6 such circles (Cammaerts & Cammaerts, 2021b). For the third work, they were 1 to 6 blue or yellow squares with an area of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 mm 2 (Cammaerts & Cammaerts, 2021c).…”

“…During our first study, the ants were trained successively to 1, 2, 3 and 4 blue cues, or successively to 5, 4, 3, and 2 yellow cues, and were then tested in front of 1 to 5 blue or yellow cues respectively (Cammaerts & Cammaerts, 2021a). During our second study, the ants were trained successively to 1, 2, 3 and 4 blue cues, or successively to 6, 5, 4, and 3 yellow cues, and were then tested in front of 1 to 6 blue or yellow cues respectively (Cammaerts & Cammaerts, 2021b). During our third study, the ants were trained to blue squares having successively an area of 1, 2, 4 and 8 mm 2 , or to yellow squares having successively an area of 32, 16, 8, and 4 mm 2 .…”