Foraging zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) are public information users rather than conformists

Abstract

Social learning enables adaptive information acquisition provided that it is not random but selective. To understand species typical decision-making and to trace the evolutionary origins of social learning, the heuristics social learners use need to be identified. Here, we experimentally tested the nature of majority influence in the zebra finch. Subjects simultaneously observed two demonstrator groups differing in relative and absolute numbers (ratios 1 : 2/2 : 4/3 : 3/1 : 5) foraging from two novel food sources (black and white feeders). We find that demonstrator groups influenced observers' feeder choices (social learning), but that zebra finches did not copy the majority of individuals. Instead, observers were influenced by the foraging activity (pecks) of the demonstrators and in an anti-conformist fashion. These results indicate that zebra finches are not conformist, but are public information users.

What do zebra finches learn besides singing? Systematic mapping of the literature and presentation of an efficient associative learning test

“…The involvement of social factors, such as the sexual characteristics of the birds in the study is most often applied to social learning tests (Katz and Lachlan 2003 ; Van Leeuwen et al 2021 ; Fig. 4 ).…”

“…However, there are many different cognitive domains beyond song learning. For example, social learning, spatial orientation, and memory could be important for foraging success, food-caching behaviour, and migration (Collet et al 2021 ; Healy and Hurly 2004 ; Shettleworth 2010 ; Van Leeuwen et al 2021 ), while inhibitory control, associative, social, and motoric learning may be important for both foraging (Chantal et al 2016 ; Osbrink et al 2021 ) and reproductive success (Guillette et al 2016 ).…”

“…Behaviours demonstrated by live or video-recorded birds include nest-building and foraging using specific coloured materials and lid removal. A computer-controlled feeding apparatus may also be used to assess the learning between partners through foraging scans Demonstration of foraging: (Benskin et al 2002 ; Camacho-Alpízar et al 2021 ; Guillette et al 2014 , 2022 ; Guillette and Healy 2014 , 2017 ; Katz and Lachlan 2003 ; Larose and Dubois 2011 ; Mora and Forstmeier 2014 ; Osbrink et al 2021 ; Riebel et al 2012 ; Templeton et al 2017 ; Van Leeuwen et al 2021 ); demonstration of nest-building: Breen et al 2019 ; Guillette et al 2016 ; Guillette and Healy 2019 ; Lid removal: Easter et al 2022 ; Farine et al 2015 ; foraging scan: Beauchamp and Kacelnik 1991 Spatial learning Spatial learning tests are used to assess a subject’s ability to recognise the location of the correct feeder based on environmental cues (e.g. surrounding and distant objects).…”

Biased cultural transmission of a social custom in chimpanzees

“…Such a convergence may be facilitated by a conformist bias, in which individuals disproportionately adopt the majority strategy ( 10 , 54 ). Animals have been found to conform under some conditions ( 39 – 41 ), although the evidence still requires validation ( 55 , 56 ), and the findings for chimpanzees are at best equivocal ( 47 , 57 , 58 ). In the current study, however, a less (cognitively) demanding majority influence may have shaped the chimpanzees’ style adoptions, namely, majority-biased transmission or copy the majority, in which the presence of a more homogeneous (older) generation of handclaspers favors the odds of adopting the majority strategy without a selective majority bias ( 59 , 60 ).…”

Social demonstration of colour preference improves the learning of associated demonstrated actions

“…Although all demonstrators learned and performed the task they had to demonstrate (including the demonstrators of the paired group that opened covers of the rewarding colour in 80–100% of their demonstrations), their level of activity during the social learning sessions varied, which may have affected the number of learning opportunities given to their observers (Van Leeuwen et al 2021 ). Therefore, a demonstrator’s level of activity during the social learning stage (mean number of pecks per session in exposed wells in the No demonstration group, and mean number of pecks per session in the Action-only and Paired demonstration groups) was included in the statistical analysis as an additional explanatory variable of learning success.…”