Encoding of Geometric and Featural Spatial Information by Goldfish (Carassius auratus).

Abstract

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) were trained in different place-finding tasks as a means of analyzing their ability to encode the geometric and the featural properties of the environment. Results showed that goldfish could encode and use both geometric and featural information to navigate. Goldfish trained in a maplike, or relational, procedure encoded both types of information in a single representation. In contrast, fish trained in a directly cued procedure developed 2 independent and competing strategies. These results suggest that the geometric properties of the spatial arrangement and discrete landmarks are sensitive to encoding in a maplike or relational system, whereas different sources of spatial information are encoded in a single and flexible representation of the environment.

Is there an innate geometric module? Effects of experience with angular geometric cues on spatial re-orientation based on the shape of the environment

“…in large rooms, see Learmonth et al 2002Learmonth et al , 2001Nadel and Hupbach 2006; see also Sovrano et al 2005Sovrano et al , 2007Vallortigara et al 2005a;Vallortigara and Sovrano 2002;Sovrano and Vallortigara 2006;Chiandetti et al 2007 for evidences in other species). Nonetheless, a weak version of modularity has been claimed on the basis of the evidence for a speciWc neural mechanism (likely located in the hippocampus) dedicated to the treatment of geometric information (Bingman et al 2006;Vargas et al 2004b;Vallortigara et al 2004;Tommasi et al 2003;Vallortigara in press). Curiously enough, little research has been carried out on the role of experience in the ability to deal with geometric information.…”

Colour cues proved to be more informative for dogs than brightness

“…This approach to investigating the ranking of features was first proposed with regard to visual perception in passerine birds [12,13]. A similar method was used more recently for examining the preference between two different behavioural strategies of spatial orientation in fish [14]. According to this approach, animals are first trained to discriminate between a pair of visual stimuli that differ in two features at the same time.…”

Evidence from an emerging sign language reveals that language supports spatial cognition

“…In larger-sized arenas, disoriented children are more apt to attend to landmarks (22), and verbal interference has smaller effects for adults (23), suggesting that navigation in larger scale spaces may benefit from cognitive mechanisms that are less language-dependent. Nonhuman animals can integrate feature information after extensive training (24,25) and goldfish can do so when an escape instead of a foraging paradigm is used (26). Nevertheless, the performance of children and nonhuman animals, even after training, does not show the spontaneous cognitive flexibility shown by human adults with mature Author contributions: J.E.P., A. Shusterman, A. Senghas, E.S.S., and K.E.…”