The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs
Abstract Both humans and nonhuman animals need to show self-control and wait for a larger or better reward instead of a smaller or less preferred but instant reward on an everyday basis. We investigated whether this ability undergoes ontogenetic development in domestic pigs (similar to what is known...
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Nature Portfolio
2021
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oai:doaj.org-article:24ac83fa93c84096af41612db57e84912021-12-02T17:23:47ZThe effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs10.1038/s41598-021-97770-x2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/24ac83fa93c84096af41612db57e84912021-09-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97770-xhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Both humans and nonhuman animals need to show self-control and wait for a larger or better reward instead of a smaller or less preferred but instant reward on an everyday basis. We investigated whether this ability undergoes ontogenetic development in domestic pigs (similar to what is known in human infants) by testing if and for how long nine- and 16-week-old pigs wait for a larger amount of their preferred reward. In a delay-of-gratification task, animals first learned that a small reward was hidden under a white cup and a large reward under a black cup, and then the delay to deliver the large reward was gradually increased. The results show that older pigs could wait longer for a larger reward than younger pigs (10.6 ± 1.3 s vs. 5.2 ± 1.5 s), thereby confirming our hypothesis of ontogenetic development of self-control in pigs. This self-control is likely to be regulated by the behavioural inhibition system and associated systems. Self-control or, more specifically the lack of it may be involved in the development of abnormal behaviours, not only in humans but also in animals. Therefore, research on self-control in decision-making might provide a new perspective on abnormal behaviours in captive animals.Annika KrauseMaren KreiserBirger PuppeArmin TuchschererSandra DüpjanNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021) |
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Medicine R Science Q |
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Medicine R Science Q Annika Krause Maren Kreiser Birger Puppe Armin Tuchscherer Sandra Düpjan The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| description |
Abstract Both humans and nonhuman animals need to show self-control and wait for a larger or better reward instead of a smaller or less preferred but instant reward on an everyday basis. We investigated whether this ability undergoes ontogenetic development in domestic pigs (similar to what is known in human infants) by testing if and for how long nine- and 16-week-old pigs wait for a larger amount of their preferred reward. In a delay-of-gratification task, animals first learned that a small reward was hidden under a white cup and a large reward under a black cup, and then the delay to deliver the large reward was gradually increased. The results show that older pigs could wait longer for a larger reward than younger pigs (10.6 ± 1.3 s vs. 5.2 ± 1.5 s), thereby confirming our hypothesis of ontogenetic development of self-control in pigs. This self-control is likely to be regulated by the behavioural inhibition system and associated systems. Self-control or, more specifically the lack of it may be involved in the development of abnormal behaviours, not only in humans but also in animals. Therefore, research on self-control in decision-making might provide a new perspective on abnormal behaviours in captive animals. |
| format |
article |
| author |
Annika Krause Maren Kreiser Birger Puppe Armin Tuchscherer Sandra Düpjan |
| author_facet |
Annika Krause Maren Kreiser Birger Puppe Armin Tuchscherer Sandra Düpjan |
| author_sort |
Annika Krause |
| title |
The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| title_short |
The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| title_full |
The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| title_fullStr |
The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| title_sort |
effect of age on discrimination learning and self-control in a marshmallow test for pigs |
| publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
| publishDate |
2021 |
| url |
https://doaj.org/article/24ac83fa93c84096af41612db57e8491 |
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