Chapter 7: Learning and Cognition

Question 1

Junco learning research question

Answer 1

does age affect efficiency?

Question 2

Junco learning hypothesis

Answer 2

as birds age they have more experience handling food

Question 3

junco learning prediction

Answer 3

older birds should handle food faster than younger birds

Question 4

junco learning methods

Answer 4

mealworms cut into large or small pieces.
small pieces: easy to maneuver
recorded handling times (contact to consumption) of recently fledged and older birds

Question 5

junco learning results

Answer 5

handling time was lowest for adults in both small and large mealworms
profitability was also highest in both for adults
as age increased, the handling decreased, and profitability increased

Question 6

habituation

Answer 6

simplest form of learning: reduction of response to a stimulus over time

Question 7

environmental stimulus

Answer 7

anything in the environment (abiotic or biotic) that an individual can perceive

Question 8

response

Answer 8

reaction to a stimulus

Question 9

green frog habituation is an example of

Answer 9

the dear enemy hypothesis

Question 10

green frogs show habituation to

Answer 10

intruder vocalizations

Question 11

green frog habituation research question

Answer 11

does the dear enemy hypothesis explain aggression in territorial green frogs?

Question 12

green frog habituation hypothesis

Answer 12

the level of aggression to a conspecific will vary with familiarity due to habituation

Question 13

green frog habituation prediction

Answer 13

there should be a decrease in their response to a new rivals vocalization after the initial aggressive response

Question 14

green frog habituation methods

Answer 14

studied males at 4 ponds
created synthesized calls of 2 males, 350 and 450 Hz
playback calls from speakers 1-2m away
record focal male response and movement

Question 15

green frog habituation results

Answer 15

first broadcast theres a large response (movement), which dies down.
after some time, theres a big response (movement) to the second broadcast, but not as big and dies down faster.
trends the same for both “males”

in terms of calling:
high frequency calls are baseline, but they get lower in an “aggressive” response to intruder males. Once they assess theres no imminent threat they go back to baseline.

Question 16

green frog habituation results

Answer 16

dear enemy hypothesis supported, focal males habituated to stranger calls

Question 17

neuroscience of learning

Answer 17

presynaptic neuron releases neural signal (some sort of neurotransmitter) that is taken by postsynaptic neuron.

Question 18

synapse

Answer 18

movement of neurotransmitters across the synapse. electric signals transform into chemical signals that move across the synapse.

Question 19

imprinting

Answer 19

rapid learning that occurs in young animals during a short period and has long lasting effects (konrad lorenz and the ducks)

Question 20

chick learning research question

Answer 20

is the release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron associated with imprinting?

Question 21

chick learning methods

Answer 21

control vs. experiment groups, trained on running wheel, measured movement towards stimulus.
measure amino acid neurotransmitters (GABA and glutamate) in intermediate and medial portions of IMHV.

Question 22

chick learning results

Answer 22

trained chicks released more glutamate
chicks with higher preference for an imprinted object had more GABA

Question 23

chick learning conclusion

Answer 23

neurotransmitters appear to play a role in imprinting

Question 24

memory

Answer 24

retention of a learned experience

Question 25

neural plasticity

Answer 25

structural changes in the nervous system

Question 26

dendritic spines

Answer 26

small protuberances on a dendrite that receive synaptic inputs

Question 27

mice learning research question

Answer 27

is dendritic spine formation associated with learning in mice?

Question 28

mice learning methods

Answer 28

control: no training, non-accelerated rod
experimental: mice trained to run on accelerated rod
measured formation of new spines on young and adult animals

Question 29

the barrel cortex

Answer 29

specialized region of the brain that processes tactile sensory information from the whiskers in mice. essential in object recognition, spatial navigation, learning and memory

Question 30

mice learning results

Answer 30

trained groups with accelerated rod saw most dendritic spine formation, but the young mice grew more than old

Question 31

mice learning conclusion

Answer 31

formation of new dendritic spines is associated with learning

Question 32

cache

Answer 32

food storage in birds or other animals

Question 33

HF

Answer 33

hippocampal formation, associated with spatial memory in birds.

Question 34

pavlovian conditioning

Answer 34

classic conditioning
associative learning in which an initially neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful event. This association leads to a change in behaviour, as previously neutral stimulus now evokes a similar response to the meaningful event.

Question 35

pavlovian conditioning in quail research question

Answer 35

how does learning affect fitness?

Question 36

pavlovian conditioning in qual hypothesis

Answer 36

individuals can benefit by learning to associate environmental cues (place) with mating opportunities

Question 37

pavlovian conditioning in quail prediction

Answer 37

reproductive success will be higher in the condition where individuals learn mating occurs

Question 38

pavlovian conditioning in quails methods

Answer 38

2 different mating situations were set up, differing in size, location and appearance. adults trained to learn that mating happened in certain cage types but not the others.
males: mating occurred in a subset of the cages during training, then in both cages during testing.
females: were not allowed to mate during training.

Question 39

pavlovian conditioning in quail results

Answer 39

% eggs fertilized was greater in CS+ cages for both sexes.

Question 40

pavlovian conditioning in quail conclusion

Answer 40

pavlovian learning can affect fitness

Question 41

learning macaques research question

Answer 41

how quickly can individuals learn to overcome innate preference?

Question 42

learning macaques methods

Answer 42

6 participants offered 1-4 peanut halves
choose 1: get 4 more
choose 4: get 1
measure how quickly they learn to choose the smaller quantity

Question 43

learning macaques results

Answer 43

fast learners and slow learners observed through the trials. all showed initial preference for 4, then learned to choose 1.

Question 44

learning macaques conclusion

Answer 44

there is lots of variation in learning curves

Question 45

social learning

Answer 45

using others as a source of information in learning

Question 46

precocial

Answer 46

born in advanced stage in development

Question 47

social learning in precocial birds research question

Answer 47

how to chicks learn the best plants to feed on?

Question 48

social learning in precocial birds hypothesis

Answer 48

chicks can learn to identify important food plants from their mother’s food calls

Question 49

social learning in precocial birds prediction

Answer 49

chicks should primarily eat foods associated with their mother’s food calls

Question 50

social learning in precocial birds methods

Answer 50

record food eaten by hens and broods.
record all food calls given by hens and the associated plant

Question 51

social learning in precocial birds results

Answer 51

food calls given for 11 plants which comprised a high % of chick diet.
plants with high protein got the most food calls.

Question 52

social learning in precocial birds conclusion

Answer 52

chicks learn the most nutritious plants from their mother’s food

Question 53

social information

Answer 53

using information from the behaviour of other individuals

Question 54

local enhancement

Answer 54

individual’s focus to a particular part of the environment by the presence of another

Question 55

public information

Answer 55

information obtained from activity or performance of others about the quality of an environmental parameter or resource

Question 56

social learning in sticklebacks research question

Answer 56

do animals use local enhancement or public information to assess patch quality?

Question 57

social learning in sticklebacks methods

Answer 57

local enhancement available: many individuals could indicate best patch
public information available: observation of feeding success more important than number of individuals

test fish observed demonstrator fish. 6 at food patch, 2 at no food patch. (local enhancement)
test fish observed demonstrator fish, 6 at poor patch 2 at rich patch (public information)
removed demonstrators and measure time test fish spent at patches

Question 58

social learning in sicklebacks results

Answer 58

when demonstrators didnt feed, the focal fish spent more time in patch with most individuals
when feeding rates differed, focal fish spent more time in patch with fewer individuals and more food

Question 59

animal culture in birds

Answer 59

birds from different areas have different calls

Question 60

water displacement in crows

Answer 60

crows were given various puzzles: drop stones into water to raise food treat up
crows dropped stones into water instead of sand
dropped sinking objects rather than floating
solid rather than hollow
into tube with higher water level.
but failed challenges that had them assess the width of the tube and and counter intuitive cues with U-tube