Abstract:Comparative cognitive and behaviour research aims to investigate cognitive evolution by comparing performance in different species to understand how these abilities have evolved. Ideally, this requires large and diverse samples, however, these can be difficult to obtain by single labs or institutions, leading to potential reproducibility and generalisation issues with small, less representative samples. To help mitigate these issues, we are establishing a multi-site collaborative Open Science approach called M… Show more
“…We tested two conservation-relevant associated components of behavioural flexibility in a little-studied, Critically Endangered bird species, which could be further implemented across other species, for instance, through the ManyBirds framework [38], and used in applied sciences. Our findings help contribute to our understanding on how Bali myna and individuals react to changes in their environment.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…We confirmed with keeping staff that these were suitably novel in all cases. The novel items were selected as such to be comparable with research in corvids [28,32], so the data may be useful for comparative research [38]. Figure 1Novel objects.…”
Behavioural flexibility can impact on adaptability and survival, particularly in today's changing world, and encompasses associated components like neophobia, e.g. responses to novelty, and innovation, e.g. problem-solving. Bali myna (
Leucopsar rothschildi
) are a Critically Endangered endemic species, which are a focus of active conservation efforts, including reintroductions. Gathering behavioural data can aid in improving and developing conservation strategies, like pre-release training and individual selection for release. In 22 captive Bali myna, we tested neophobia (novel object, novel food, control conditions), innovation (bark, cup, lid conditions) and individual repeatability of latency responses in both experiments. We found effects of condition and presence of heterospecifics, including longer latencies to touch familiar food in presence than absence of novel items, and between problem-solving tasks, as well as in the presence of non-competing heterospecifics than competing heterospecifics. Age influenced neophobia, with adults showing longer latencies than juveniles. Individuals were repeatable in latency responses: (1) temporally in both experiments; (2) contextually within the innovation experiment and between experiments, as well as being consistent in approach order across experiments, suggesting stable behaviour traits. These findings are an important starting point for developing conservation behaviour related strategies in Bali myna and other similarly threatened species.
“…We tested two conservation-relevant associated components of behavioural flexibility in a little-studied, Critically Endangered bird species, which could be further implemented across other species, for instance, through the ManyBirds framework [38], and used in applied sciences. Our findings help contribute to our understanding on how Bali myna and individuals react to changes in their environment.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…We confirmed with keeping staff that these were suitably novel in all cases. The novel items were selected as such to be comparable with research in corvids [28,32], so the data may be useful for comparative research [38]. Figure 1Novel objects.…”
Behavioural flexibility can impact on adaptability and survival, particularly in today's changing world, and encompasses associated components like neophobia, e.g. responses to novelty, and innovation, e.g. problem-solving. Bali myna (
Leucopsar rothschildi
) are a Critically Endangered endemic species, which are a focus of active conservation efforts, including reintroductions. Gathering behavioural data can aid in improving and developing conservation strategies, like pre-release training and individual selection for release. In 22 captive Bali myna, we tested neophobia (novel object, novel food, control conditions), innovation (bark, cup, lid conditions) and individual repeatability of latency responses in both experiments. We found effects of condition and presence of heterospecifics, including longer latencies to touch familiar food in presence than absence of novel items, and between problem-solving tasks, as well as in the presence of non-competing heterospecifics than competing heterospecifics. Age influenced neophobia, with adults showing longer latencies than juveniles. Individuals were repeatable in latency responses: (1) temporally in both experiments; (2) contextually within the innovation experiment and between experiments, as well as being consistent in approach order across experiments, suggesting stable behaviour traits. These findings are an important starting point for developing conservation behaviour related strategies in Bali myna and other similarly threatened species.
“…While it can be tempting to jump right in with a complex topic, many initiatives have found it effective to start simple. For example, groups like the Psychological Science Accelerator, ManyPrimates, ManyBirds, and ManyDogs chose topics for their first projects that were relatively easy to test across a wide variety of sites and/or taxa [7][8][9][10]. Similarly, as a proof-of-concept, ManyBabies began with a study of a relatively non-controversial topic for which there was already strong empirical support: infants' preference for infant-directed speech [11].…”
The past decade has witnessed a proliferation of Big Team Science (BTS), endeavours where a comparatively large number of researchers pool their intellectual and/or material resources in pursuit of a common goal. Despite this burgeoning interest, there exists little guidance on how to create, manage, and participate in these collaborations. In this paper, we integrate insights from a multidisciplinary set of BTS initiatives to provide a how-to guide for BTS. We first discuss initial considerations for launching a BTS project, such as building the team, identifying leadership, governance, tools, and open science approaches. We then turn to issues related to running and completing a BTS project, such as study design, ethical approvals, and issues related to data collection, management, and analysis. Finally, we address topics that present special challenges for BTS, including authorship decisions, collaborative writing, and team decision making.
“…Here we introduce the ManyDogs Project (referred to throughout as ManyDogs), a big team science approach to not only help address replicability problems but also to provide opportunities to answer questions that cannot be easily addressed in single laboratories. ManyDogs is a large-scale, multi-lab collaboration akin to those used with infants (Frank et al, 2017;The ManyBabies Consortium, 2020), nonhuman primates (Many Primates et al, 2019), and avian species (ManyBirds; Lambert et al, 2022).…”
Section: Cognitionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…ManyX projects with nonhuman animal species have facilitated phylogenetic comparisons and countered the challenge of small sample sizes. As an example, ManyPrimates has examined 176 primates from 12 species (ManyPrimates et al, 2019), and the recently formed ManyBirds has already considered more than 71 avian species (Lambert et al, 2022). Two other consortia focused on animal cognition have recently been developed, ManyGoats and ManyFish.…”
Although dogs have a special place in human history as the first domesticated species and play important roles in many cultures around the world, their role in scientific studies has been relatively recent. With a few notable exceptions (e.g., Darwin, Pavlov, Scott & Fuller), domestic dogs were not commonly the subject of rigorous scientific investigation of behavior until the late 1990s. While the number of canine science studies has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, most research groups are limited in the inferences they can draw due to the relatively small sample sizes used along with the exceptional diversity observed in dogs (e.g., breed, geographic location, experience). To this end, we introduce the ManyDogs Project, an international consortium of researchers interested in taking a big team science approach to understanding canine behavioral science. We begin by discussing why studying dogs provides valuable insights into behavior and cognition, evolutionary processes, human health, and applications for animal welfare. We then highlight other big team science projects that have previously been conducted in canine science and emphasize the benefits of our approach. Finally, we introduce the ManyDogs Project and our mission: 1) replicating important findings, 2) investigating moderators that need a large sample size such as breed differences, 3) reaching methodological consensus, 4) investigating cross-cultural differences, and finally 5) setting a standard for replication studies in general. In doing so, we hope to address previous limitations in individual lab studies and previous big team science frameworks to deepen our understanding of canine behavior and cognition.
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