{"title":"Investigating individual learning behaviour of dogs during a yes/no detection task","authors":"Mariska Snelleman , Myrthe Wessel , Adee Schoon","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Detection dogs are frequently tested for their ability to detect a variety of targets. It is crucial to comprehend the processes for odour learning and the consequences of training on an expanding set of target scents on performance. To properly evaluate their ability to identify the target, the only true measure is the dogs’ initial response to novel sources, since this excludes learning effects. In this study, we evaluated the individual learning processes of three detection dogs that were pre-trained to differentially respond to a faecal sample of a mare in oestrus (S+) and a faecal sample of the same mare in di-oestrus (S−). After reaching criterion during a test with known training samples, the dogs were tested for generalization to a novel source. Average responses to S+ and S- were calculated as a function of presentation sequence, and Signal Detection Theory was used to further analyse characteristic differences in learning. The results of this study suggest that the ability of individual scent detection dogs to learn within an olfactory discrimination test varies considerably. The information obtained in this study could be helpful for mitigation training. We show that through careful monitoring of individual learning processes, the strategy each dog followed becomes apparent: especially the observations on the dogs’ responses to first encounters with novel sample sources. This provides us with more detailed information than the more traditional sensitivity and specificity measures and allows us to better predict the dog’s capabilities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105030"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140558424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Boróka Bárdos , Henrietta Kinga Török , István Nagy
{"title":"Comparison of the exploratory behaviour of wild and laboratory mouse species","authors":"Boróka Bárdos , Henrietta Kinga Török , István Nagy","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105031","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we compared the exploratory behaviour of mound-building mice (<em>Mus spicilegus</em>) and house mice (<em>Mus musculus</em>) with domesticated laboratory mouse strains (BALB/c and C57BL/6). The animals spent 15 minutes in the furnished test box before the exit to the outside world became free. During the 5-minute test, it was noted whether the animal left the familiar environment; if it did, it was recorded in how many seconds. Based on our results, the wild mouse species were more likely to leave the familiar mouse box and explore the outside environment earlier than the laboratory mice. We also found a difference within the wild mouse species, the mound-building mouse being the one that explored the external environment to a greater extent and faster. The effect of domestication manifests in the fact that laboratory mouse strains are less likely to leave their familiar environment and are significantly less active than their wild ancestors.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105031"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635724000469/pdfft?md5=bf2ff80a365d4ab44e5330c163f4e1fe&pid=1-s2.0-S0376635724000469-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140621860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Landmark use by ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) during wayfinding in a complex maze","authors":"Trent Robinson","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Species of crab have been shown to spatially track and navigate to consequential locations through different processes, such as path integration and landmark orienting. Few investigations examine their ability to wayfind in complex environments, like mazes, with multiple intersections and how they may utilize specific features to benefit this process. Spatial learning potentially would lend a fitness advantage to animals living in complicated habitats, and ghost crab (<em>Ocypode quadrata</em>) is a semiterrestrial species that typically occupies extensive beach environments, which present many navigational challenges. Despite their potential, there are currently no studies that investigate forms of spatial cognition in these animals. To better diversify our knowledge of this trait, the current research exposed ghost crab to a maze with seven intersections. Animals were given multiple trials to learn the location of a reward destination to a specific criterion proficiency. In one condition several landmarks were distributed throughout the maze, and in another the environment was completely empty. Results showed that ghost crab in the landmark present group were able to learn the maze faster, they required significantly fewer trials to reach the learning criterion than those in the landmark absent group. However, only approximately half of the total sample met the learning criterion, indicating the maze was rather difficult. These findings are interpreted through theories of route learning that suggest animals may navigate by establishing landmark-turn associations. Such processes have implications for the cognitive ability of ghost crab, and spatial learning in this species may support the notion of convergent evolution for this trait.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105026"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140536787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adaptive forgetting of place/object memory for dung in the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus): Memory for a day","authors":"Audrey EM Guyonnet, Ian Q. Whishaw","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The domestic horse (<em>Equus ferus caballus</em>) makes dung deposits to form “stud-piles” and compulsively examines dung droppings, suggesting that dung contains species-relevant information. The present study investigates horses’ use of location (place), odor (object) and memory for dung sniff encounters. Horses were video recorded in 2 indoor and 4 outdoor riding arenas as they were taken at different time intervals to experimenter-determined objects or dung deposits that they could sniff. Frame-by-frame video analysis measured approaches, sniff duration, nostril use, ear position and blinking associated with dung investigation. Horses approached and sniffed dung-deposits for longer duration than non-dung objects in all test locations. They made head movements across the extent of dung-deposits when sniffing, showed no nostril or ear preference directed to the target, and blinked as they disengage from sniffing. Reduced approach probability and sniff duration showed that they displayed good place/object memory for dung previously visited at similar and different locations on the same day but poor memory for dung visited on a previous day. Adaptive forgetting of object/place memory for dung after a previous day’s dung visit may optimizes risk assessment, including the possibility of premature interruption of foraging by conspecifics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105025"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140206286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anthony S. Rauhut , Bishma Tuladhar , Nicole Tamvaka , Justina Warnick
{"title":"Differential effects of voluntary exercise and housing density on anxiety-like behavior in C57Bl/6 mice","authors":"Anthony S. Rauhut , Bishma Tuladhar , Nicole Tamvaka , Justina Warnick","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The interaction of voluntary exercise and housing density on a) anxiety-like behavior and b) the stimulant effects of methamphetamine in C57Bl/6 mice were evaluated. Upon arrival, mice were housed singly or in pairs, and permitted access to home-cage running wheels or not for 4 weeks. Testing for anxiety-like behavior occurred over the next 3 weeks, one test per week [Elevated-Plus Maze (EPM) → Hyponeophagia (HNP) task → Open-Field (OF) task]. The final, OF task involved an 8-hour session in which mice were permitted to explore the chamber (drug free) during Hours 1–3; given an injection (s.c.) of methamphetamine (1.0 mg/kg) after Hour 3; followed by continued behavioral sampling during Hours 4–8. Several tasks (HNP and OF, but not EPM) consistently showed voluntary exercise induced anxiety-like behavior. In addition, two measures (time in center and time resting in the perimeter) in the OF task revealed that exercise mice compared to controls were more responsive to the anxiogenic effects of methamphetamine. Although pair housing was anxiolytic, it did not ameliorate the anxiogenic effects of voluntary exercise. Taken together, these results, when viewed in tandem with previous studies that utilized a less anxious mouse strain (Swiss Webster), <em>may</em> suggest that voluntary exercise is anxiogenic in an anxiety-prone mouse strain such as C57Bl/6 and highlight the importance of considering mouse strain when evaluating the impact of environmental manipulations on anxiety-like behavior in animal models.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105023"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140206231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Termites can learn","authors":"Yifan Evan Ding , Zhenghui Li","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>It is generally believed that termites can’t learn and are not “intelligent”. This study aimed to test whether termites could have any form of memory. A Y-shaped test device with one release chamber and two identical test chambers was designed and constructed by 3D printing. A colony of damp wood termites was harvested from the wild. Worker termites were randomly selected for experiment. Repellent odors that could mimic the alarm pheromone for termites were first identified. Among all substances tested, a tea tree oil and lemon juice were found to contain repellent odors for the tested termites, as they significantly reduced the time that termites spent in the chamber treated with these substances. As control, a trail pheromone was found to be attractive. Subsequently, a second cohort of termites were operant conditioned by punishment using both tea tree oil and lemon juice, and then tested for their ability to remember the path that could lead to the repellant odors. The test device was thoroughly cleaned between trials. It was found that conditioned termites displayed a reduced tendency to choose the path that led to expectant punishment as compared with naïve termites. Thus, it is concluded that damp wood termites are capable of learning and forming “fear memory”, indicative of “intelligence” in termites. This result challenges established presumption about termites’ intelligence.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105012"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635724000275/pdfft?md5=c55b4f75c6f42ee99f5749bf05b20cab&pid=1-s2.0-S0376635724000275-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140142662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of observing trained conspecifics on the performance and motivation of goldfish, Carassius auratus, in a spatial task","authors":"James C. Blane , Richard A. Holland","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Spatial and social cognition are two aspects of fish behaviour that have been subject to an increasing amount of research in recent years, but few have investigated potential behaviour overlaps. Testing the ability for an individual to socially learn a spatial task would bridge this gap in understanding. We provided naïve goldfish, <em>Carassius auratus</em>, the opportunity to observe a trained conspecific navigate a T-shaped maze, and then recorded how many trials it took for them to learn the maze, time taken per trial, motivation, and acceptance of the food reward. We also recorded how many trials it took a control group to learn the maze without the opportunity to observe a demonstrator. The observer group took significantly longer to learn the maze than the control group. Although the observer group were significantly less motivated (trials without a choice made), they were significantly more likely to accept the food reward. The social learning of reward acceptance was taking place, but the process of the demonstration disrupted the training of the spatial task, with possible explanations as the passenger effect and trade-off mechanism being discussed. Future studies are needed to determine whether goldfish can acquire spatial information socially; however, this study contributes to the feasibility of studying social learning of environmentally information in goldfish.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 105021"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635724000366/pdfft?md5=70d50878e5b2727e46988da5e44879bf&pid=1-s2.0-S0376635724000366-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140142663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kenneth D. Madrigal , Cinthia M. Hernández , Carlos J. Flores
{"title":"The role of stimulus combinations in the repeated assessment of resurgence","authors":"Kenneth D. Madrigal , Cinthia M. Hernández , Carlos J. Flores","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current study examined the role of stimulus combinations on the repeated assessment of resurgence. Using a within-session resurgence procedure, rats were exposed to different conditions, each with distinct stimulus combinations (AAA, ABA, ABB, ABC and AAB). Two arrangements of stimulus changes were compared: Experiment 1 involved changes in stimulus combinations every five sessions, while Experiment 2 implemented changes every session. Resurgence was observed in both experiments; however, Experiment 2 demonstrated more consistent and repeated resurgence when stimulus combinations changed every session. Notably, the ABA, ABB and ABC conditions showed the highest percentage of sessions in which resurgence was observed. Lastly, the current study extends the application of the within-session resurgence procedure to rats and auditory stimuli, providing a reliable method for assessing resurgence in single subjects under different variable conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 105010"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139995453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mallory T. DeChant , Paul C. Bunker , Nathanial J. Hall
{"title":"Evaluation of the capability of oil specific discrimination in detection dogs","authors":"Mallory T. DeChant , Paul C. Bunker , Nathanial J. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Dogs are used for oil detection to support spill remediation and conservation, but little is known about the effects of weathering and aging of oil odorants on dogs’ ability to generalize and discriminate unweathered oil from aged/weathered tar ball oil. Three dogs were trained to detect unweathered oil odorant using a three-alternative choice procedure and automated olfactometers. We evaluated dogs’ ability to discriminate unweathered target oil from four different weathered/tar ball samples. All three dogs successfully discriminated the unweathered target oil from the four nontarget weathered oils with an accuracy of 96%, 97%, and 100%. After the oil discrimination test, dogs’ ability to discriminate unweathered target oil from novel natural odorants on a beach (plastic bottle lid, bird feathers, and rocks) was tested in a novel discrimination test yielding an accuracy of 95%, 100%, and 100%. These data suggest dogs are successful in discriminating unweathered oil from weathered oil with explicit training.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 105014"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140069682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emotional contagion in rodents: A comprehensive exploration of mechanisms and multimodal perspectives","authors":"Delin Yu , Lili Bao , Bin Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Emotional contagion, a fundamental aspect of empathy, is an automatic and unconscious process in which individuals mimic and synchronize with the emotions of others. Extensively studied in rodents, this phenomenon is mediated through a range of sensory pathways, each contributing distinct insights. The olfactory pathway, marked by two types of pheromones modulated by oxytocin, plays a crucial role in transmitting emotional states. The auditory pathway, involving both squeaks and specific ultrasonic vocalizations, correlates with various emotional states and is essential for expression and communication in rodents. The visual pathway, though less relied upon, encompasses observational motions and facial expressions. The tactile pathway, a more recent focus, underscores the significance of physical interactions such as allogrooming and socio-affective touch in modulating emotional states. This comprehensive review not only highlights plausible neural mechanisms but also poses key questions for future research. It underscores the complexity of multimodal integration in emotional contagion, offering valuable insights for human psychology, neuroscience, animal welfare, and the burgeoning field of animal-human-AI interactions, thereby contributing to the development of a more empathetic intelligent future.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 105008"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139904938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}