Vincent Joy L, Vonk Jennifer
Oakland University, Department of Psychology, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
Behav Processes. 2022 Oct;202:104751. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104751. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
Many species of armadillo demonstrate impressive navigation abilities and may compensate for poor eyesight with a strong sense of smell. We examined which modality four three-banded armadillos and one hairy armadillo prioritized when two cues (olfactory or spatial) previously associated with reward were put in conflict. The armadillos learned to approach one of two locations - each paired with a distinctive scent - for reward. When the scent cues were reversed, the armadillos demonstrated a strong bias for attending to the location cue over the scent cue. Therefore, a follow-up test presented them with the same scents and assessed their spontaneous preferences. Although the armadillos did not show an immediate preference for the previously rewarded scent, they did learn to discriminate two novel scents when they were placed in a circular arena containing two tins - each scented with a unique scent. They learned to selectively open the tins containing reward based on scent. This result indicates that their bias towards location cues was not due to an inability to discriminate between scents. Armadillos may attend to either location or scent but may prioritize location when both cues are equally predictive.
许多犰狳物种展现出了令人印象深刻的导航能力，并且可能用敏锐的嗅觉来弥补视力不佳的问题。我们研究了在两种先前与奖励相关的线索（嗅觉或空间线索）发生冲突时，四只三带犰狳和一只毛犰狳会优先选择哪种线索。犰狳学会接近两个位置中的一个——每个位置都与一种独特的气味配对——以获取奖励。当气味线索颠倒时，犰狳表现出强烈的偏好，即更关注位置线索而非气味线索。因此，后续测试给它们呈现相同的气味，并评估它们的自发偏好。虽然犰狳没有立即表现出对先前获得奖励的气味的偏好，但当它们被放置在一个有两个罐子的圆形场地中时——每个罐子都有一种独特的气味——它们确实学会了区分两种新气味。它们学会根据气味选择性地打开装有奖励的罐子。这一结果表明，它们对位置线索的偏好并非由于无法区分气味。犰狳可能会关注位置或气味，但当两种线索具有同等预测性时，它们可能会优先选择位置。
