Discrimination of artificial categories structured by family resemblances: A comparative study in people (Homo sapiens) and pigeons (Columba livia).

Makino, Hiroshi; Jitsumori, Masako

doi:10.1037/0735-7036.121.1.22

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The animals probably used discrimination learning to solve the Wrst three problems. The TtC and the course of the learning curves were comparable to the Wndings of previous studies in pigeons (Delius 1992;Makino and Jitsumori 2007), goats (Langbein et al 2006) and horses (Hanggi 1999) using artiWcial stimuli. We found a conspicuous drop-oV in learning success (higher TtC) in problem two.…”

Section: Trainingsupporting

confidence: 75%

The cognitive capabilities of farm animals: categorisation learning in dwarf goats (Capra hircus)

et al. 2012

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The ability to establish categories enables organisms to classify stimuli, objects and events by assessing perceptual, associative or rational similarities and provides the basis for higher cognitive processing. The cognitive capabilities of farm animals are receiving increasing attention in applied ethology, a development driven primarily by scientifically based efforts to improve animal welfare. The present study investigated the learning of perceptual categories in Nigerian dwarf goats (Capra hircus) by using an automated learning device installed in the animals' pen. Thirteen group-housed goats were trained in a closed-economy approach to discriminate artificial two-dimensional symbols presented in a four-choice design. The symbols belonged to two categories: category I, black symbols with an open centre (rewarded) and category II, the same symbols but filled black (unrewarded). One symbol from category I and three different symbols from category II were used to define a discrimination problem. After the training of eight problems, the animals were presented with a transfer series containing the training problems interspersed with completely new problems made from new symbols belonging to the same categories. The results clearly demonstrate that dwarf goats are able to form categories based on similarities in the visual appearance of artificial symbols and to generalise across new symbols. However, the goats had difficulties in discriminating specific symbols. It is probable that perceptual problems caused these difficulties. Nevertheless, the present study suggests that goats housed under farming conditions have well-developed cognitive abilities, including learning of open-ended categories. This result could prove beneficial by facilitating animals' adaptation to housing environments that favour their cognitive capabilities.

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Section: Trainingsupporting

confidence: 75%

The cognitive capabilities of farm animals: categorisation learning in dwarf goats (Capra hircus)

et al. 2012

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“…Since it is impossible to learn the relevant properties of each object one by one, humans and other animals have developed the ability to group stimuli along several dimensions (e.g., Herrnstein and Loveland, 1964; Delius et al, 2000; Makino and Jitsumori, 2007). Usually, members of a category are grouped on the basis of physical similarities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for a Numerosity Category that is Based on Abstract Qualities of “Few” vs. “Many” in the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Yaman¹,

Kilian²,

Fersen³

et al. 2012

Front. Psychology

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A previous study (Kilian et al., 2003) had demonstrated that bottlenose dolphins can discriminate visual stimuli differing in numerosity. The aim of the present study was twofold: first, we sought to determine if dolphins are able to use a numerical category based on “few” vs. “many” when discriminating stimuli according to the number of their constituent patterns. Second, we aimed to extend the previously demonstrated range of numbers, thereby testing the limits of the numerical abilities of bottlenose dolphins. To this end, one adult bottlenose dolphin learned to discriminate between two simultaneously presented stimuli which varied in the number of elements they contained. After initial training, several confounding parameters were excluded to render it likely that discrimination performance indeed depended on numerosity. Subsequently, the animal was tested with new stimuli of intermediate as well as higher numbers of elements. Once discrimination had been achieved, a reversal-training on a subset of stimuli was initiated. Afterward, the subject generalized the reversal successful to new and unreinforced stimuli. Our results reveal two main findings: firstly, our data strongly suggest a magnitude and a distance effect. Thus, coding of numerical information in dolphins might follow logarithmic scaling as postulated by the Weber-Fechner law. Secondly, after learning a reversal of contingencies, the dolphin generalized the reversal successful to new and unreinforced stimuli. Thus, within the limits of a study that was conducted with a single individual, our results suggest that dolphins are able to learn and use a numerical category that is based on abstract qualities of “few” vs. “many.”

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“…Representations of the family-resemblance categories used inMakino and Jitsumori (2007). Each stimulus involves a pair of colored rectangles represented by a set of two letters; AB, BC, and CD in Category 1 (left) and EF, FG, and GH in Category 2 (right).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The positions of the three rectangles in each stimulus were randomly determined for every trial. (Redrawn fromMakino & Jitsumori, 2007) Grayscale reproductions of the exemplars in one category used byJitsumori, Ohkita, and Ushitani (2011). Faces A, B, C, D, and their 50% morphs (AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, and CD) were morphed with Face M. Faces AD, BC, and those created by blending each of these faces with M are not shown.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning and Behavior toward Understanding of Cognitive Processes in Animals: Memory, Categorization, Equivalence, and Visual Search

実森¹

2013

Japanese Journal of Animal Psychology

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The field of animal learning and behavior has a long history and continues to contribute in important ways to the understanding of cognitive processes in different animal species as compared to human beings. Animals have considerable flexibility to optimize their behaviors in solving particular problems as well as coping with ever-changing circumstances. Research on learning mechanisms from a comparative perspective may deepen our understanding of functional significance of cognitive behaviors of both human and nonhuman species. Examples are taken from studies of list memory, categorization, formation and expansion of equivalence relations among physically different stimuli, and visual search for category.

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Discrimination of artificial categories structured by family resemblances: A comparative study in people (Homo sapiens) and pigeons (Columba livia).

Cited by 11 publications

References 41 publications

The cognitive capabilities of farm animals: categorisation learning in dwarf goats (Capra hircus)

The cognitive capabilities of farm animals: categorisation learning in dwarf goats (Capra hircus)

Evidence for a Numerosity Category that is Based on Abstract Qualities of “Few” vs. “Many” in the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Learning and Behavior toward Understanding of Cognitive Processes in Animals: Memory, Categorization, Equivalence, and Visual Search

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