Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna; Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna;
Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology.
J Vis Exp. 2022 May 13(183). doi: 10.3791/63026.
Problem-solving tasks are commonly used to investigate technical, innovative behavior but a comparison of this ability across a broad range of species is a challenging undertaking. Specific predispositions, such as the morphological toolkit of a species or exploration techniques, can substantially influence performance in such tasks, which makes direct comparisons difficult. The method presented here was developed to be more robust with regard to such species-specific differences: the Innovation Arena presents 20 different problem-solving tasks. All tasks are presented simultaneously. Subjects are confronted with the apparatus repeatedly, which allows a measurement of the emergence of innovations over time - an important next step for investigating how animals can adapt to changing environmental conditions through innovative behavior. Each individual was tested with the apparatus until it ceased to discover solutions. After testing was concluded, we analyzed the video recordings and coded successful retrieval of rewards and multiple apparatus-directed behaviors. The latter were analyzed using a Principal Component Analysis and the resulting components were then included in a Generalized Linear Mixed Model together with session number and the group comparison of interest to predict the probability of success. We used this approach in a first study to target the question of whether long-term captivity influences the problem-solving ability of a parrot species known for its innovative behavior: the Goffin´s cockatoo. We found an effect in degree of motivation but no difference in the problem-solving ability between short- and long-term captive groups.
解决问题的任务通常用于研究技术和创新行为，但在广泛的物种范围内比较这种能力是一项具有挑战性的任务。特定的倾向，如物种的形态工具包或探索技术，可以极大地影响此类任务中的表现，这使得直接比较变得困难。这里提出的方法旨在更能克服这种物种特异性差异：创新竞技场呈现了 20 种不同的解决问题的任务。所有任务同时呈现。实验对象反复面对仪器，这可以衡量创新在时间上的出现——这是研究动物如何通过创新行为适应不断变化的环境条件的重要下一步。每个个体都用该仪器进行测试，直到它不再发现解决方案。测试结束后，我们分析了视频记录，并对成功获取奖励和多种针对仪器的行为进行了编码。后者使用主成分分析进行分析，然后将得到的成分与会话次数以及感兴趣的组比较一起纳入广义线性混合模型，以预测成功的概率。我们在第一项研究中使用这种方法来研究长期圈养是否会影响一种以创新行为而闻名的鹦鹉物种的解决问题的能力：戈芬氏凤头鹦鹉。我们发现，在动机程度上存在影响，但在短期和长期圈养组之间，解决问题的能力没有差异。
