BOHA - 16 Flashcards
what is corvidae?
crow family
what is an example of physical cognition?
tool using
what is the definition of tool using?
the use of an external object as a functional extension of mouth or beak, hand or claw, in the attainment of an immediate goal?
does tool use equal intelligence?
no but can can be revealing about physical cognition
chimpanzees are well known for using tools, what sets them apart from other tool users?
1) can use a wide diversity of tools
2) a variety of tool sets
3) can manufacture tool
4) have a tool culture - teach each other how to use toolds
what group of birds are well known for their tool use and where?
New caledonian crows in tropical, dense forest
what are the advantages and disadvantages of captive studies?
advantages = controlled study of behaviour
disadvantages = ecological validity may be compromised
- low sample size
what is folk physics?
common understanding of how things happen in the natural world
it wasnt until 1996 New caledonian crows tool use came to light, how is their tool use similar to chimps?
- population - wide use and manufacture
- diversity of tool types
- tool culture - passing it on through the generations
in the crow studies how many were used?
20 - 16 wild caught and 4 hand reared
what were the 5 questions asked in the experiment about crows tool use?
1) are crows capable of planning their actions in advance?
2) how did tool use develop in young crows?
3) are the crows flexible in their behaviour?
4) can they learn about tool use?
5) is there any evidence in insightful problem solving
when questioning the development of tool use is it genetically or environmentally determined?
strong genetic influence - however tuition is important in refining the behaviour
what did experiments show about crows planning their behaviour?
they have the ability to use a sequence of tools in order to complete process - first time this was seen in birds
did investigations show crows to be capable of creative problem solving and what other types of learning were ruled out?
yes - could rule out it being innate, observational learning or associative learning
what errors were there in the crow experiment meaning it couldn’t be concluded crows were capable of creative problem solving?
only one crow completed the task and not all of the hooks made were suitable to be used
what 4 things did the experiments on crows find out?
1) they have a genetic predisposition to tool behaviour however it does need some refining through learning
2) can use spontaneous creative problem solving
3) can use a sequence of tools
4) they have a knowledge of force
what is social cognition?
the cognitive adaptations that might benefit animals that live in groups, it concerns knowledge of relationships and dominance hierarchies
what is caching food a good system for?
good to examine memory and social cognition
what is semantic memory and episodic memory?
Semantic = fact - learning Episodic = unique recollection, conscious
what did the investigation on western scrub jays show about food caching behaviour?
that they have the ability to remember where, when and what they cached = episodic like memory
what is Bischof - Kohlers hypothesis?
non- human animals are bound to their current motivational state and cant plan for the future
did western scrub jay tests prove of disprove Bischof - Kohlers hypothesis?
it disproved it - they showed evidence of planning
how do the western scrub jays deal with cache thievery?
1) scattering their hoards rather than one large hoard
2) active protection
when being watched what were the scrub jays cache protection strategies?
1) cache behind barriers
2) cache in shade
3) re cache more items to confuse the other bird - cache then dig up and re cache in different place
- this protection happens more if they have had their cache stolen from them before - use own experience
what were the 3 things proved by the western scrub jay experiments?
1) episodic like memory
2) future planning
3) flexible cache protection
what type of evolution is thought to have occurred between birds and apes cognitive abilities?
convergent evolution
