Corvidae Can Understand Logical Structure in Baited String-Pulling Tasks

Bagotskaya, M. S.; Aa, Smirnova; Zorina, Z. A.

doi:10.1007/s11055-011-9529-z

Cited by 26 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…However, other studies have also found that some birds were successful in more complicated tasks although they failed easier ones. For instance, Bagotskaya et al ( 2012 ) tested a hooded crow, which failed a single string task but successfully coped with multiple-string problems. In a follow-up experiment, which was conducted after all experiments of this study were completed, Bird 203 proved that he was also able to solve the Pretest.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heinrich ( 1995 ) found that some, but not all, ravens ( C. corax ) tested could solve tasks with crossed or slanted strings, suggesting that they had an appreciation of the need for connectedness for the string to be a useful tool. Bagotskaya et al ( 2012 ) demonstrated that hooded crows ( C. cornix ) are also capable of solving slanted-string tasks, but struggle with crossed strings. Manipulation of task design can reveal the limitations of corvid understanding of string problem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) solve multiple-string problems by the spatial relation of string and reward

2016

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String-pulling is a widely used paradigm in animal cognition research to assess what animals understand about the functionality of strings as a means to obtain an out-of-reach reward. This study aimed to systematically investigate what rules Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) use to solve different patterned string tasks, i.e. tasks in which subjects have to choose between two or more strings of which only one is connected to the reward, or where one is more efficient. Arranging strings in a parallel configuration showed that the jays were generally capable of solving multiple-string tasks and acted in a goal-directed manner. The slanted and crossed configurations revealed a reliance on a “proximity rule”, that is, a tendency to choose the string-end closest to the reward. When confronted with strings of different lengths attached to rewards at different distances the birds chose according to the reward distance, preferring the reward closest to them, and were sensitive to the movement of the reward, but did not consistently prefer the shorter and therefore more efficient string. Generally, the scrub-jays were successful in tasks where the reward was closest to the string-ends they needed to pull or when string length and reward distance correlated, but the birds had problems when the wrong string-end was closest to the reward or when the food items were in close proximity to each other. These results show that scrub-jays had a partial understanding of the physical principles underlying string-pulling but relied on simpler strategies such as the proximity rule to solve the tasks.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10071-016-1018-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) solve multiple-string problems by the spatial relation of string and reward

2016

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“…The ability to obtain remote bait tied to a thread was studied in different representatives of the bird class: corvids (Heinrich, 1995;Heinrich and Bugnyar, 2005;Bagotskaya et al, 2010Bagotskaya et al, , 2010aBagotskaya et al, , 2012, large par rots (Pepperberg, 2004;Huber and Gajon, 2006;Wer denich and Huber, 2006;Schuck Paim et al, 2009), small parrots (Dücker and Rensch, 1977;Funk, 2002;Krasheninnikova and Ralf, 2010), small passerine birds, such as tits, greenfinches, canaries, and chaffinches (Vince, 1961), goldfinches and siskins (Seibt and Wickler, 2005), etc. An entire set of prob lems on obtaining remote bait was offered only to birds with a high level of brain development (Portmann's index is 15-24): large parrots (Werdenich and Huber, 2006;Schuck Paim et al, 2009), ravens (Heinrich, 1995), hooded crows (Bagotskaya et al, 2012), and New Caledonian crows (Taylor et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An entire set of prob lems on obtaining remote bait was offered only to birds with a high level of brain development (Portmann's index is 15-24): large parrots (Werdenich and Huber, 2006;Schuck Paim et al, 2009), ravens (Heinrich, 1995), hooded crows (Bagotskaya et al, 2012), and New Caledonian crows (Taylor et al, 2010). Individ ual representatives of these species successfully dealt with the entire set of such tests, which testifies their ability to understand the logical structure of such problems based on the cause-effect relationships (Heinrich, 1995;Werdenich and Huber, 2006;Bag otskaya et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative assessment of birds’ ability to solve string-pulling tasks

Obozova

Bagotskaya

et al. 2014

Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci

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A set of string pulling tasks was used to compare the cognitive abilities of birds with different levels of brain complexity, which was judged using Portmann's index for the hemispheres. Varying the number and relative position of strings and bait, we investigated whether birds of different species (hooded crows (Corvus cornix), red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra), Eurasian blue tits (Parus caeruleus), and great gray owls (Strix neb ulosa)) are capable of comprehending the logical structure of such tasks based on cause-effect relationships. Among the observed representatives of Passeriformes, only hooded crows, which possess the most complex and highly differentiated brain, were shown to be able to solve correctly the most difficult versions of the string pulling tasks and, therefore, to understand their logical structure. Small passerine birds and owls, which are characterized by a similarly high value of Portmann's index, proved to be incapable of compre hending the cause-effect relationship between the components of the tasks.

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“…While non-human great apes essentially demonstrate spontaneous comprehension of horizontal means-end problems (Herrmann et al 2008 ; Mulcahy et al 2013 ), yellow-crowned parakeets, Cyanoramphus auriceps (Funk 2002 ), blue-fronted Amazons, Amazona aestival (De Mendonca-Furtado and Ottoni 2008 ), and pigeons, Columba livia (Schmidt and Cook 2006 ), are less adept. By contrast, ravens, Corvus corax , and crows, C. corone, C. cornix , are capable of solving more complicated crossed support tasks (Albiach-Serrano et al 2012 ; Bagotskaya et al 2012 ), yet these corvids, in contrast to great apes, Gorilla gorilla, Pan paniscus, P. troglodytes, Pongo abelii , do not appear to comprehend the causal principles of such problems (Albiach-Serrano et al 2012 ; Bagotskaya et al 2012 ). The most convincing evidence that parrots are capable of comprehending the causal principles underlying means-end problems has been demonstrated by keas, Nestor notabilis , in which one of six individuals showed spontaneous success by pulling a continuous, rather than disrupted, wooden slat to retrieve an otherwise out-of-reach food reward (Auersperg et al 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfer of physical understanding in a non-tool-using parrot

Horik

Emery

2016

Anim Cogn

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Physical cognition has generally been assessed in tool-using species that possess a relatively large brain size, such as corvids and apes. Parrots, like corvids and apes, also have large relative brain sizes, yet although parrots rarely use tools in the wild, growing evidence suggests comparable performances on physical cognition tasks. It is, however, unclear whether success on such tasks is facilitated by previous experience and training procedures. We therefore investigated physical comprehension of object relationships in two non-tool-using species of captive neotropical parrots on a new means-end paradigm, the Trap-Gaps task, using unfamiliar materials and modified training procedures that precluded procedural cues. Red-shouldered macaws (Diopsittaca nobilis) and black-headed caiques (Pionites melanocephala) were presented with an initial task that required them to discriminate between pulling food trays through gaps while attending to the respective width of the gaps and size of the trays. Subjects were then presented with a novel, but functionally equivalent, transfer task. Six of eight birds solved the initial task through trial-and-error learning. Four of these six birds solved the transfer task, with one caique demonstrating spontaneous comprehension. These findings suggest that non-tool-using parrots may possess capacities for sophisticated physical cognition by generalising previously learned rules across novel problems.

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Corvidae Can Understand Logical Structure in Baited String-Pulling Tasks

Cited by 26 publications

References 13 publications

Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) solve multiple-string problems by the spatial relation of string and reward

Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) solve multiple-string problems by the spatial relation of string and reward

A comparative assessment of birds’ ability to solve string-pulling tasks

Transfer of physical understanding in a non-tool-using parrot

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