Behavioural Processes最新文献

{"title":"Adapting rodent cued threat conditioning to planarians: Memory acquisition, consolidation, and reconsolidation","authors":"Fionnghuala L.J. James ,&nbsp;Sayed K. Ahamed ,&nbsp;Cheng Yang ,&nbsp;Jigme Thinley ,&nbsp;Carmelo M. Vicario ,&nbsp;Juan J. Canales ,&nbsp;Sukhwinder S. Sohal ,&nbsp;Richard Wilson ,&nbsp;Luke R. Johnson ,&nbsp;Vanni Caruso","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105321","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105321","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The processes of memory consolidation and reconsolidation are important in understanding the dynamics of memory storage and modification. Models to condition aversive memory have been characterised in rodents yet have been less explored in invertebrates such as planaria. Planaria are a potentially important animal model for the study of threat learning and memory as they can learn conditioned responses and may show conserved neural mechanisms underpinning these responses compared to mammals. However, no model for the study of memory in classical threat conditioning exists for planaria. The aim of this study is to replicate a standardised cued threat conditioning model for memory acquisition and reconsolidation in mice, in brown planaria (<em>Girardia dorotocephala</em>), using shock as the unconditioned stimulus (US) and light as the conditioned stimulus (CS). Defensive behaviours (C-shaped movements and scrunching) were assessed to evaluate learning. Planaria underwent memory acquisition training for a total of 18 learning trials. In the consolidation model, memory retention was tested 24 h after the final training session with a CS exposure. In the reconsolidation model, memory stability was assessed using a recall test 24 h after a reactivation session. In both tests, the paired shock-light group exhibited a significant increase in defensive behaviours, compared to all control groups, suggesting that the pairing of both shock and light was essential for forming a lasting memory. Furthermore, planaria exhibited a gradual extinction of defensive responses to the CS. These findings highlight the utility of planaria for studying associative learning and memory, including memory reconsolidation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105321"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145751461","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":"Combined effects of reinstatement and spontaneous recovery","authors":"A. Sofía Flores ,&nbsp;Carlos Flores ,&nbsp;Julian C. Velasquez ,&nbsp;L. Rebeca Mateos ,&nbsp;Kenneth Madrigal ,&nbsp;Cinthia M. Hernández-Escalante","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prior research has examined combined forms of behavioral recurrence, showing that relapse is greater when these forms occur together than when each is studied in isolation. However, this enhancement effect has not yet been explored in the joint expression of two phenomena: reinstatement, defined as the reappearance of extinguished behavior following response-independent or response-dependent exposure to consequences (or consequence-associated cues), and spontaneous recovery, defined as the recurrence of a response after an interval following extinction. The present study evaluated whether delaying the test phase enhances response-independent reinstatement in rats. After reinforcement and extinction of a response, subjects were assigned to one of two groups: Control Group, which was exposed to an immediate test with delivery of non-contingent reinforcement, or Delay Group, which was exposed to the same test after a seven-day delay. Results showed that reinstatement was higher in the Delay Group compared to the Control Group. These findings offer new support for enhanced recurrence paradigms, showing that reinstatement and spontaneous recovery jointly produce greater relapse.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105332"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145916875","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":"Intensity of host nest defense against parasites does not change with different breeding stages","authors":"Hanlin Yan ,&nbsp;Longwu Wang ,&nbsp;Wei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brood parasitism can force hosts to evolve adaptive defense behaviors. To effectively prevent or mitigate reproductive losses caused by parasites, host birds can adjust their nest defense intensity at different breeding stages. In our study area, the oriental reed warbler (<em>Acrocephalus orientalis</em>) is a common host of the common cuckoo (<em>Cuculus canorus</em>). Previous studies have shown that this host exhibits strong aggressive behaviors toward common cuckoos. To test whether the intensity of nest defense by oriental reed warblers varies between different breeding stages, we compared their behavioral responses toward 3D dummies of the grey common cuckoo and oriental turtle dove (<em>Streptopelia orientalis</em>) during the early incubation and nestling stages. Results showed that there was no significant difference in the defensive behavior of oriental reed warblers against common cuckoos and oriental turtle dove dummies between early incubation and nestling feeding stages. Oriental reed warblers exhibited three different types of response behaviors during both early incubation and nestling feeding stages, which included attack, mobbing calls, and no response. We conclude that the nest defense intensity of oriental reed warblers against common cuckoos did not significantly change with different breeding stages between early incubation and nestling feeding stages. This may provide a new experimental case to fill a gap in understanding the coevolution between the oriental reed warbler (host) and the common cuckoo (parasite).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105328"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145905543","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":"Application of a novel adjusting-concentration schedule to compare the reinforcing effectiveness of sucrose and fructose","authors":"C.M. Bradshaw","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An adjusting-concentration schedule is described, in which rats made choices between a fructose solution of fixed concentration (<em>c</em>_B) and a sucrose solution the concentration of which (<em>c</em>_A) was adjusted in successive blocks of trials according to the rat’s preference in the preceding block. If the rat showed preference for fructose in block <em>n</em>, <em>c</em>_A was increased by 20 % in block <em>n</em> + 1; if the rat preferred sucrose in block <em>n</em>, <em>c</em>_A was reduced by 20 % in block <em>n</em> + 1. The concentration of sucrose in the final five of fifteen sessions was taken as the indifference concentration of sucrose (<em>c</em>_A(50)). <em>c</em>_B was varied across successive phases of the experiment, between 200 and 800 mM, and the resulting values of <em>c</em>_A(50) were measured. An equation derived from the Multiplicative Hyperbolic Model of reinforcer value (MHM) was used to analyse the relation between <em>c</em>_B and <em>c</em>_A(50). The concentration ratio (<em>c</em>_B/<em>c</em>_A(50)) was significantly greater than unity at all values of <em>c</em>_B, there being no significant deviation of the slope of the relation between <em>c</em>_B/<em>c</em>_A(50) and <em>c</em>_B from zero. The results suggest that rats prefer sucrose to fructose across a broad range of concentrations, but the asymptotes of the conventration/value functions of sucrose and fructose are similar.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105309"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145595536","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":"Witnessing others interact with a novel object has sex- and size-specific effects on neophilia in mosquitofish","authors":"Angela J. Barbosa,&nbsp;Katie E. McGhee","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105308","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105308","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dealing with novelty can be challenging for animals. Approaching unfamiliar objects and environments allows individuals to discover and exploit new food sources and habitats, but novelty can also be dangerous and expose individuals to unfamiliar predators or toxic foods. Observing how others react to novel objects can enable an individual to indirectly assess the risks or benefits associated with particular objects without putting themselves directly in harm’s way via social transmission of information. Using the western mosquitofish (<em>Gambusia affinis</em>), we first manipulated whether individuals either witnessed a group of conspecifics interacting with a novel object in a beaker (shoal treatment) or witnessed the novel object alone in an empty beaker (alone treatment). Following this exposure, individuals then encountered that same object on their own and we measured how quickly they approached the object. We found that the effect of witnessing a group encounter a novel object depended on the sex and size of the focal individual. Seeing a group around a novel object caused males and similarly small-sized females to approach the object more quickly when they encountered it on their own later, compared to seeing the novel object without surrounding conspecifics. In contrast, large females were willing to approach the object regardless of the social context under which they had first encountered it. Sex, body size, and/or personality differences might affect the benefits of the social context and determine whether conspecifics attract individuals to a novel object.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105308"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145581671","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":"A psychological model of the cognitive processes regulating exploratory behavior in animals","authors":"Wojciech Pisula","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article proposes a conceptual model of animal exploratory behavior that integrates principles from modular cognition and affordance theory. Recognizing a gap between empirical data and theoretical frameworks in comparative psychology, the model aims to clarify how animals process environmental stimuli and engage in information-seeking behaviors. It distinguishes between fixed action patterns, novelty-driven exploration, and affordance-seeking, highlighting the cognitive mechanisms underlying each. Central to the model is a system that integrates modules, such as key-stimulus detection, novelty detection, and affordance analysis, each functioning as an autonomous yet interconnected unit. These modules mediate behavioral responses through sequential decision making influenced by internal drives and environmental affordances. The paper emphasizes the model’s empirical testability and relevance across species, linking behavioral flexibility to evolutionary adaptation and environmental complexity. By integrating sensory, cognitive, and motivational components, the model contributes to understanding how animals adaptively regulate exploratory actions. This approach supports the development of experimentally verifiable hypotheses and bridges cognitive, ecological, and ethological perspectives. Moreover, the model provides a robust framework for comparative and general psychology, offering insights into the evolution and architecture of cognition across species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105303"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519114","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":"Influence of familiarity and sex on social learning in a group living fish","authors":"Grace Ogundeji ,&nbsp;Elias Latchem ,&nbsp;Sigal Balshine","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social learning, learning via observation and imitation, is an ability that can help animals adapt to their environment. Current research indicates that familiarity between the demonstrator and learner increases the likelihood that animals engage in social learning. Sex differences in philopatry can result in the more philopatric sex having a higher degree of familiarity with its groupmates than the dispersing sex. The aim of this study was to test how familiarity and sex affect social learning in the matrilineal, group-living cichlid species, <em>Neolamprologus pulcher</em>. A foraging assay was used to test the probability and speed of social learning in <em>N. pulcher</em>, and whether these were influenced by familiarity with the demonstrator, the demonstrator’s sex, or the observer’s sex. We found that familiarity did not have a clear effect on <em>N. pulcher</em> learning. Although demonstrator sex had no impact on learning, female <em>N. pulcher</em> learned faster than their male counterparts. As one of the first experimental studies to examine the factors influencing social learning in social cichlid fish<em>,</em> here we build upon the existing body of literature on fish learning and explore how information spreads in groups. Such knowledge can shed light on the behaviours, as well as the dynamics, and transmission of cultural traits in cichlids and other animals, contributing to the growing understanding of decision-making and the cognition underlying cooperation in other taxa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105307"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145562448","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":"Plasticity in sex roles and female competition in Neotropical dung roller beetles","authors":"Maria J. Albo ,&nbsp;Patricia González-Vainer","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous studies show that sex roles can be plastic, and different eco-evolutionary scenarios yield sexual selection also acting on females. Plastic sex roles can occur in response to environmental cues, such as when food and mate resources are limited. In dung roller beetles, the encounter of sexes occurs at the food source; males are commonly reported cutting, forming balls and attracting females. Intrasexual competition has been particularly associated with fights for mate acquisition among males, while females heavily invest in parental care. Here, we test the hypothesis that females have high motivation to compete for balls and mates due to the striking relevance of gaining fertilizations before nesting. This competition is expected to be more intense when the operational sex ratio is biased, affecting behaviors related to ball acquisition (ball production and fights for ball possession) and access to mates (male-female pair formation, courtship and mating). We used the Neotropical dung roller beetle <em>Canthon bispinus</em> and exposed males and females to two experimental groups differing in the operational sex ratio: Female and Male Bias group. We examined the proportion of successful trials for females and males. We found that males were very active in food search in both groups, while fighting with each other in the Male Bias group. In contrast, females became highly competitive, actively engaging in ball rolling and fights in the Female Bias group. Our findings revealed an elevated competition for mates at the food source and that sexual selection may also operate on females in dung roller beetles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105306"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145538899","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":"The ‘less-is-better’ effect in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.): Some data and a contrast-like hypothesis","authors":"Marilia Pinheiro de Carvalho ,&nbsp;Ana Paula Rocha ,&nbsp;Soraya Tavares ,&nbsp;Armando Machado ,&nbsp;Marco Vasconcelos","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105320","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given a choice between a simple option offering a preferred-food item (e.g., a grape, G) and a combo option offering the same preferred-food item <em>plus</em> a less-preferred food item (e.g., a grape + a slice of cucumber, GC), animals often behave suboptimally by either being indifferent between the two options or by preferring the simple option—the “less-is-better” effect. To explain indifference, the selective-value hypothesis assumes that, in the choice context, the subjective value (V) of the less-preferred food is zero (i.e., V_GC = V_G + 0 = V_G). To explain the less-is-better effect, the average-quality hypothesis assumes that the value of the combo equals the average of its components’ values [i.e., V_GC = Average(V_G,V_C) &lt; V_G]. No unified account explains both sets of experimental findings. To test these hypotheses further, we presented six capuchin monkeys (<em>Sapajus</em> sp.) with a variety of choice tests, some simple (GC vs. G) and some complex (2G1C vs. 3G1C; or 2C1G vs. 3C1G), with a final sample of four individuals per test. The results confirm that capuchin monkeys also behave suboptimally, revealing either indifference or the less-is-better effect. Crucially, our findings suggest that the value of the less-preferred food, C, may become negative through a contrast-like effect. By expanding the selective-value hypothesis to accommodate situations where the less-preferred item’s value may be reduced to zero or become negative, we suggest a unified, process-based account of the two sets of research findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105320"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145699622","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":"Assessment of ultrasonic vocalization-mediated communication deficits in AD rats: A social learning paradigm using conspecific drinking behavior","authors":"Xinxiang Su ,&nbsp;Junjun Pu ,&nbsp;Jinxia Liao ,&nbsp;Yuqian Tang ,&nbsp;Liting Feng ,&nbsp;Zhen Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105311","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105311","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to explore the effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) rats on the drinking behavior of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and observe the ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of AD rats and SD rats.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The 12 AD rats were equally divided into two groups (6 rats per group), and the 36 SD rats were divided into 6 groups (6 rats per group), with no rat reused across different experimental groups. Two independent experimental tasks were conducted: 1) A test field with a sugar area (containing 10 % sucrose solution) and a chili area (containing 0.02 % capsaicin solution) was constructed. The drinking behavior of SD rats (placed in the middle area of the test field) was recorded in the presence of different \"guiding rats\" (placed in the side area of the test field). The experiment was divided into 5 groups: unguided group (UG, no guiding rats in the side area), normal SD rats guiding group (NG), AD rats guiding group (ADG), AD rats guiding group with memantine administration (ADMG), and the Ultrasonic Vocalizations Guiding Group (USVsG, an animal ultrasonic sound player was used to broadcast the USVs). Additionally, the escape latency results of the Morris water maze test, a commonly used cognitive evaluation task in AD rats, were compared and correlated with the drinking behavior results — the core hypothesis here was to verify whether the drinking behavior method established in this study could serve as a valid tool for assessing AD behavioral phenotypes, consistent with the evaluation effect of the traditional Morris water maze. 2) USV characteristics of SD rats, AD rats, and memantine-administered AD rats were recorded and analyzed separately.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Compared with the UG, the NG had more drinking bouts in the sugar area and fewer in the chili area. In contrast, the ADG showed the opposite trend vs. NG, indicating impaired social information transmission in AD rats. For USVs, normal SD rats had environment-specific frequency differentiation: dominant high-frequency USVs in sugar-water and low-frequency ones in chili-water, while AD rats had disorganized USV frequency bands. After memantine intervention, ADMG had enhanced sugar preference, shortened Morris water maze escape latency, and USV frequencies gradually approaching normal SD rats. Moreover, USVsG had no obvious difference in drinking behavior vs. NG, confirming USVs as the core medium of social guidance.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study reveals AD rats' abnormal USV characteristics, preliminarily lays an experimental basis for an evaluation method combining USVs and drinking behavior, provides a new non-invasive, low-cost perspective for assessing AD rats' behavioral phenotypes, and verifies this method correlates with traditional cognitive evaluation (Morris water maze) and can effectively reflect the improvement of AD behavioral phenotypes after memantine intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 105311"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145647203","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}