Visual stimulus characteristics for initial approach response in chicks (Gallus domesticus)

Schulman, Allan H.; Hale, E. B.; Graves, H.B.

doi:10.1016/0003-3472(70)90040-0

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Again, distant species show intriguing similarities in the attributes that guide the recognition of the three main classes of animate creatures. Among these attributes, we find size and configural motion properties (e.g., both for naive chicks and for anurans, the difference between food and friend is mostly a matter of size; Ewert et al, 2001;Schulman et al, 1970;Sewards and Sewards, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In controlled laboratory settings imprinting can be obtained for a variety of artificial objects. Despite that, it is not completely unconstrained in its object: notoriously, filial imprinting can be better obtained for visually salient objects of the appropriate size (e.g., visual stimuli that are small enough for being a food item do not elicit filial imprinting, with the optimal size for eliciting following being around 10 cm; Schulman et al, 1970). In addition, moving stimuli are preferred as imprinting objects over static ones (Ten Cate, 1986.…”

Section: Behavioural Evidence Of Social Predispositionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Roots of a social brain: Developmental models of emerging animacy-detection mechanisms

Rosa‐Salva

Mayer

Vallortígara

2015

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

111

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Behavioural Evidence Of Social Predispositionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Roots of a social brain: Developmental models of emerging animacy-detection mechanisms

Rosa‐Salva

Mayer

Vallortígara

2015

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

111

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“…In different species we observe spontaneous preferences for specific colours [4–7], shapes and sizes [6,8,9], configurations [10], dynamics [11,12], and odours [13–16]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naïve Chicks Prefer Hollow Objects

et al. 2016

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Biological predispositions influence approach and avoid responses from the time of birth or hatching. Neonates of species that require parental care (e.g. human babies and chicks of the domestic fowl) are attracted by stimuli associated with animate social partners, such as face-like configurations, biological motion and self-propulsion. The property of being filled is used as a cue of animacy by 8-month-old human infants but it is not known whether this reflects the effect of previous experience. We used chicks of the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) to investigate whether the property of being filled vs. hollow elicits spontaneous or learned preferences. To this aim we tested preferences of naïve and imprinted chicks for hollow and closed cylinders. Contrary to our expectations, we documented an unlearned attraction for hollow stimuli. The preference for hollow stimuli decreased when chicks were imprinted on filled stimuli but did not increase when chicks were imprinted on hollow stimuli, suggesting that hollowness is not crucial to determine affiliative responses for imprinting objects. When chicks were imprinted on occluded stimuli that could be either filled or hollow, the preference for hollow stimuli emerged again, showing that imprinting does not disrupt the spontaneous preference for hollow objects. Further experiments revealed that hollow objects were mainly attractive by means of depth cues such as darker innards, more than as places to hide or as objects with high contrast. Our findings point to predisposed preferences for hollow objects, and suggest that early predispositions might be driven by factors different from animacy cues.

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“…A very wide range of stimulus sizes has been found to suffice (Fabricius & Boyd, 1954) but investigators have found, for example, that chicks 14 to 22 hours old approach red cardboard disks 10 to 20 cm. in diameter in greater proportion than smaller or larger diameters (Schulman, Hale and Graves, 1970). Similarly, irregular movement has been reported to be more effective in directing approach than regular movement (Salzen & Sluckin, 1959) and retreating objects produce more following than approaching or stationary objects (Moltz, 1963).…”

Section: Visual Stimulimentioning

confidence: 95%