The effect of sex, age and boldness on inhibitory control

Vinogradov, Ivan M.; Jennions, Michael D.; Veen, Eleanor van; Fichtel, Claudia; Kappeler, Peter M.; Fox, Rebecca J.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.09.011

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 88 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While the transparent cylinder in the corridor could potentially obscure visual access to females, it seems unlikely to be the case. A recent study on mosquitofish conducted in similar arenas ( Vinogradov et al 2022 ) suggests that G. holbrooki can see other fish through transparent barriers placed between the focal individuals and conspecific rewards. Male mosquitofish have been reported to exhibit a winner – loser effect when they freely compete for mates, whereby winners are more successful ( Harrison et al 2018 , 2023 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does losing reduce the tendency to engage with rivals to reach mates? An experimental test

Zang,

Chung,

Neeman

et al. 2024

Behavioral Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Male-male contests for access to females or breeding resources is critical in determining male reproductive success. Larger males and those with more effective weaponry are more likely to win fights. However, even after controlling for such predictors of fighting ability, studies have reported a winner-loser effect: previous winners are more likely to win subsequent contests, while losers often suffer repeated defeats. While the effect of winning-losing is well-documented for the outcome of future fights, its effect on other behaviors (e.g., mating) remains poorly investigated. Here, we test whether a winning versus losing experience influenced subsequent behaviors of male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) towards rivals and potential mates. We housed focal males with either a smaller or larger opponent for 24 hours to manipulate their fighting experience to become winners or losers, respectively. The focal males then underwent tests that required them to enter and swim through a narrow corridor to reach females, bypassing a cylinder that contained either a larger rival male (competitive scenario), a juvenile or was empty (non-competitive scenarios). The tests were repeated after one week. Winners were more likely to leave the start area and to reach the females, but only when a larger rival was presented, indicating higher levels of risk-taking behavior in aggressive interactions. This winner-loser effect persisted for at least one week. We suggest that male mosquitofish adjust their assessment of their own and/or their rival’s fighting ability following contests in ways whose detection by researchers depends on the social context.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does losing reduce the tendency to engage with rivals to reach mates? An experimental test

Zang,

Chung,

Neeman

et al. 2024

Behavioral Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…pheasants – van Horik et al, 2019; dogs – Junttila et al, 2021; multiple fish species – reviewed in Lucon-Xiccato, 2022). It has been suggested that this sex difference may be due to males evolving a general increased ‘persistence’ due to the requirements of their mating behaviour, which is captured by detour-reaching tasks (Vinogradov et al, 2022). Domestic Japanese quails demonstrate high frequencies of extra-pair copulations and competitive mating behaviour among males (Cheng et al, 2010), so this explanation could apply to this species as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early-Life Group Size Does Not Influence Japanese Quails’ Learning in a Response Inhibition Task

Willcox,

Vernouillet,

Lens

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In complex social environments, animals benefit from suppressing inappropriate responses (known as Response Inhibition - RI) to avoid conflicts and maintain group cohesion. Recent research suggests that an individual’s early-life social environment can shape their RI. However, these findings have mostly been correlational, and results vary across species. Furthermore, the role of learning is often overlooked when measuring RI, despite its potential importance to understanding group differences. We investigated the effect of early-life group size, a key determinant of social complexity, on RI in Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica), whilst taking the role of learning into account. Quails (n = 120) were raised in either small groups of five or large groups of 15 individuals. RI was assessed using the cylinder task. Up to 10 trials were administered to assess whether the birds’ responses changed with increasing experience of the task. Among the quails that completed 10 trials, we found that those raised in large groups consistently spent less time pecking the cylinder than those raised in small groups. The quails’ responses were also influenced by their body condition, food motivation, and sex. Importantly, the quails learned to inhibit their responses - successful trials increased, and time spent pecking the cylinder decreased, across 10 trials. However, learning rates did not differ between the treatment groups. These findings suggest that early-life social group size promotes the development of RI in quails, but not their learning during the cylinder task.

show abstract

“…A study on sticklebacks also provided indirect evidence of covariance between IC and a measure of boldness recorded in the detour task (Keagy et al 2019 ). However, another recent study with the same approach found only marginally significant evidence of this relationship in eastern mosquitofish (Vinogradov et al 2022 ). While there seems to be general support for the covariation between personality and IC in fish, the specific personality traits involved are not clearly defined.…”

Section: Within-species Variability In Inhibitory Control Of Fishmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…A relatively large literature in fish has addressed sex differences in executive functions, including IC (reviewed in Lucon-Xiccato 2022 ). For example, comparisons between the two sexes with the barrier task found greater female performance in guppies (Lucon-Xiccato and Bisazza 2017b ), in eastern mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki ; Vinogradov et al 2022 ), and in cleaner wrasses (Triki and Bshary 2021 ). A large sex difference in the same direction was found when guppies were presented with the tube task (Lucon-Xiccato et al 2020b ).…”

Section: Within-species Variability In Inhibitory Control Of Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Inhibitory control in teleost fish: a methodological and conceptual review

Lucon-Xiccato

2024

Anim Cogn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inhibitory control (IC) plays a central role in behaviour control allowing an individual to resist external lures and internal predispositions. While IC has been consistently investigated in humans, other mammals, and birds, research has only recently begun to explore IC in other vertebrates. This review examines current literature on teleost fish, focusing on both methodological and conceptual aspects. I describe the main paradigms adopted to study IC in fish, identifying well-established tasks that fit various research applications and highlighting their advantages and limitations. In the conceptual analysis, I identify two well-developed lines of research with fish examining IC. The first line focuses on a comparative approach aimed to describe IC at the level of species and to understand the evolution of interspecific differences in relation to ecological specialisation, brain size, and factors affecting cognitive performance. Findings suggest several similarities between fish and previously studied vertebrates. The second line of research focuses on intraspecific variability of IC. Available results indicate substantial variation in fish IC related to sex, personality, genetic, age, and phenotypic plasticity, aligning with what is observed with other vertebrates. Overall, this review suggests that although data on teleosts are still scarce compared to mammals, the contribution of this group to IC research is already substantial and can further increase in various disciplines including comparative psychology, cognitive ecology, and neurosciences, and even in applied fields such as psychiatry research.

show abstract

The effect of sex, age and boldness on inhibitory control

Cited by 7 publications

References 88 publications

Does losing reduce the tendency to engage with rivals to reach mates? An experimental test

Does losing reduce the tendency to engage with rivals to reach mates? An experimental test

Early-Life Group Size Does Not Influence Japanese Quails’ Learning in a Response Inhibition Task

Inhibitory control in teleost fish: a methodological and conceptual review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About