The automatic recording of aggression in pigeons: A comparison of two methods with live targets

Abstract

Three pigeons were exposed to a fixed-time response independent food-delivery schedule and a live target pigeon restrained in a holder mounted on a spring and microswitch assembly. This common method of recording aggression was compared with a photocell system, and both were evaluated by observation of video-tape recordings. Dependent variables included the number of interfood intervals with an attack, attacks per minute, and attack duration. The photocell proved more reliable than the microswitch and correlated highly with observations of both the number of interfood intervals with an attack for three subjects and attack duration for two. Neither apparatus provided accurate information about the rate of attacks. The microswitch apparatus was not sensitive to changes in the subject's attack topography, while both recording devices were susceptible to activation by responses in the attacking pigeon other than discrete pecks or physical blows. In view of these findings, attacks per minute may not be an appropriate measure of aggression in studies using such devices.

New Technologies Applied to Operant Research: Inexpensive Photocells for the Arduino-Visual Basic Interface

“…Photocells are helpful for recording responses in a variety of species and scenarios. For example, photocells have been used for recording nose poking in rats (e.g., Antonitis, 1951), swimming through a ring in Betta splendens fish (e.g., Lattal & Metzger, 1994), attack in pigeons (e.g, Muller & Cheney, 1975), and motor activity in rats (e.g., Ericson, Samuelsson, & Ahlenius, 1991).…”