Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, 1 University Station C0990, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Anim Cogn. 2020 Jul;23(4):655-669. doi: 10.1007/s10071-020-01367-2. Epub 2020 Mar 12.
Given that the sexes often differ in their ecological and sexual selection pressures, sex differences in cognitive properties are likely. While research on sexually dimorphic cognition often focuses on performance, it commonly overlooks how sexes diverge across cognitive domains and in behaviors exhibited during a cognitive task (cognitive style). We tested male and female western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in three cognitive tasks: associative learning (numerical discrimination), cognitive flexibility (detour task), and spatio-temporal learning (shuttlebox). We characterized statistical relationships between cognitive performances and cognitive style during the associative learning task with measures of anxiety, boldness, exploration, reaction time, and activity. We found sex differences in performance, cognitive style, and the relationships between cognitive domains. Females outperformed males in the spatio-temporal learning task, while the sexes performed equally in associate learning and cognitive flexibility assays. Females (but not males) exhibited a 'fast-exploratory' cognitive style during associative learning trials. Meanwhile, only males showed a significant positive relationship between domains (associative learning and cognitive flexibility). We propose that these sexually dimorphic cognitive traits result from strong sexual conflict in this taxon; and emphasize the need to explore suites of sex-specific cognitive traits and broader comparative work examining sexual selection and cognition.
鉴于性别在生态和性选择压力方面经常存在差异，因此认知特性的性别差异很可能存在。虽然研究性二态认知的研究通常侧重于表现，但它通常忽略了性别在认知领域的差异以及在认知任务（认知风格）中表现出的行为差异。我们在三个认知任务中测试了雄性和雌性西部拟蚊鱼（ Gambusia affinis ）：联想学习（数字辨别）、认知灵活性（绕道任务）和时空学习（穿梭箱）。我们通过焦虑、大胆、探索、反应时间和活动等措施，描述了联想学习任务中认知表现和认知风格之间的统计关系。我们发现性能、认知风格和认知领域之间存在性别差异。在时空学习任务中，雌性表现优于雄性，而在联想学习和认知灵活性测定中，性别表现相同。在联想学习试验中，只有雌性（而不是雄性）表现出“快速探索”的认知风格。同时，只有雄性在域之间显示出显著的正相关（联想学习和认知灵活性）。我们提出，这些性二态认知特征是由于该分类群中强烈的性冲突造成的；并强调需要探索一系列特定于性别的认知特征，并进行更广泛的比较工作，以研究性选择和认知。
