Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines

Abstract Animal cognitive abilities have traditionally been studied in the lab, but studying cognition in nature could provide several benefits including reduced stress and reduced impact on life-history traits. However, it is not yet clear to what extent cognitive abilities can be properly measured...

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Autores principales:	M. Cauchoix, E. Hermer, A. S. Chaine, J. Morand-Ferron
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/6ff47b3d255743449b29d8dd0487106c
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:6ff47b3d255743449b29d8dd0487106c2021-12-02T15:06:27ZCognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines10.1038/s41598-017-13179-52045-2322https://doaj.org/article/6ff47b3d255743449b29d8dd0487106c2017-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13179-5https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Animal cognitive abilities have traditionally been studied in the lab, but studying cognition in nature could provide several benefits including reduced stress and reduced impact on life-history traits. However, it is not yet clear to what extent cognitive abilities can be properly measured in the wild. Here we present the first comparison of the cognitive performance of individuals from the same population, assessed using an identical test, but in contrasting contexts: in the wild vs. in controlled captive conditions. We show that free-ranging great tits (Parus major) perform similarly to deprived, captive birds in a successive spatial reversal-learning task using automated operant devices. In both captive and natural conditions, more than half of birds that contacted the device were able to perform at least one spatial reversal. Moreover, both captive and wild birds showed an improvement of performance over successive reversals, with very similar learning curves observed in both contexts for each reversal. Our results suggest that it is possible to study cognitive abilities of wild animals directly in their natural environment in much the same way that we study captive animals. Such methods open numerous possibilities to study and understand the evolution and ecology of cognition in natural populations.M. CauchoixE. HermerA. S. ChaineJ. Morand-FerronNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q M. Cauchoix E. Hermer A. S. Chaine J. Morand-Ferron Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
description	Abstract Animal cognitive abilities have traditionally been studied in the lab, but studying cognition in nature could provide several benefits including reduced stress and reduced impact on life-history traits. However, it is not yet clear to what extent cognitive abilities can be properly measured in the wild. Here we present the first comparison of the cognitive performance of individuals from the same population, assessed using an identical test, but in contrasting contexts: in the wild vs. in controlled captive conditions. We show that free-ranging great tits (Parus major) perform similarly to deprived, captive birds in a successive spatial reversal-learning task using automated operant devices. In both captive and natural conditions, more than half of birds that contacted the device were able to perform at least one spatial reversal. Moreover, both captive and wild birds showed an improvement of performance over successive reversals, with very similar learning curves observed in both contexts for each reversal. Our results suggest that it is possible to study cognitive abilities of wild animals directly in their natural environment in much the same way that we study captive animals. Such methods open numerous possibilities to study and understand the evolution and ecology of cognition in natural populations.
format	article
author	M. Cauchoix E. Hermer A. S. Chaine J. Morand-Ferron
author_facet	M. Cauchoix E. Hermer A. S. Chaine J. Morand-Ferron
author_sort	M. Cauchoix
title	Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
title_short	Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
title_full	Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
title_fullStr	Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
title_full_unstemmed	Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
title_sort	cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/6ff47b3d255743449b29d8dd0487106c
work_keys_str_mv	AT mcauchoix cognitioninthefieldcomparisonofreversallearningperformanceincaptiveandwildpasserines AT ehermer cognitioninthefieldcomparisonofreversallearningperformanceincaptiveandwildpasserines AT aschaine cognitioninthefieldcomparisonofreversallearningperformanceincaptiveandwildpasserines AT jmorandferron cognitioninthefieldcomparisonofreversallearningperformanceincaptiveandwildpasserines
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Cognition in the field: comparison of reversal learning performance in captive and wild passerines

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