Chapter 7: Learning and Cognition Flashcards

(60 cards)

1
Q

Junco learning research question

A

does age affect efficiency?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Junco learning hypothesis

A

as birds age they have more experience handling food

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

junco learning prediction

A

older birds should handle food faster than younger birds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

junco learning methods

A

mealworms cut into large or small pieces.
small pieces: easy to maneuver
recorded handling times (contact to consumption) of recently fledged and older birds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

junco learning results

A

handling time was lowest for adults in both small and large mealworms
profitability was also highest in both for adults
as age increased, the handling decreased, and profitability increased

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

habituation

A

simplest form of learning: reduction of response to a stimulus over time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

environmental stimulus

A

anything in the environment (abiotic or biotic) that an individual can perceive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

response

A

reaction to a stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

green frog habituation is an example of

A

the dear enemy hypothesis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

green frogs show habituation to

A

intruder vocalizations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

green frog habituation research question

A

does the dear enemy hypothesis explain aggression in territorial green frogs?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

green frog habituation hypothesis

A

the level of aggression to a conspecific will vary with familiarity due to habituation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

green frog habituation prediction

A

there should be a decrease in their response to a new rivals vocalization after the initial aggressive response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

green frog habituation methods

A

studied males at 4 ponds
created synthesized calls of 2 males, 350 and 450 Hz
playback calls from speakers 1-2m away
record focal male response and movement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

green frog habituation results

A

first broadcast theres a large response (movement), which dies down.
after some time, theres a big response (movement) to the second broadcast, but not as big and dies down faster.
trends the same for both “males”

in terms of calling:
high frequency calls are baseline, but they get lower in an “aggressive” response to intruder males. Once they assess theres no imminent threat they go back to baseline.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

green frog habituation results

A

dear enemy hypothesis supported, focal males habituated to stranger calls

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

neuroscience of learning

A

presynaptic neuron releases neural signal (some sort of neurotransmitter) that is taken by postsynaptic neuron.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

synapse

A

movement of neurotransmitters across the synapse. electric signals transform into chemical signals that move across the synapse.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

imprinting

A

rapid learning that occurs in young animals during a short period and has long lasting effects (konrad lorenz and the ducks)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

chick learning research question

A

is the release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron associated with imprinting?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

chick learning methods

A

control vs. experiment groups, trained on running wheel, measured movement towards stimulus.
measure amino acid neurotransmitters (GABA and glutamate) in intermediate and medial portions of IMHV.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

chick learning results

A

trained chicks released more glutamate
chicks with higher preference for an imprinted object had more GABA

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

chick learning conclusion

A

neurotransmitters appear to play a role in imprinting

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

memory

A

retention of a learned experience

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
neural plasticity
structural changes in the nervous system
26
dendritic spines
small protuberances on a dendrite that receive synaptic inputs
27
mice learning research question
is dendritic spine formation associated with learning in mice?
28
mice learning methods
control: no training, non-accelerated rod experimental: mice trained to run on accelerated rod measured formation of new spines on young and adult animals
29
the barrel cortex
specialized region of the brain that processes tactile sensory information from the whiskers in mice. essential in object recognition, spatial navigation, learning and memory
30
mice learning results
trained groups with accelerated rod saw most dendritic spine formation, but the young mice grew more than old
31
mice learning conclusion
formation of new dendritic spines is associated with learning
32
cache
food storage in birds or other animals
33
HF
hippocampal formation, associated with spatial memory in birds.
34
pavlovian conditioning
classic conditioning associative learning in which an initially neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful event. This association leads to a change in behaviour, as previously neutral stimulus now evokes a similar response to the meaningful event.
35
pavlovian conditioning in quail research question
how does learning affect fitness?
36
pavlovian conditioning in qual hypothesis
individuals can benefit by learning to associate environmental cues (place) with mating opportunities
37
pavlovian conditioning in quail prediction
reproductive success will be higher in the condition where individuals learn mating occurs
38
pavlovian conditioning in quails methods
2 different mating situations were set up, differing in size, location and appearance. adults trained to learn that mating happened in certain cage types but not the others. males: mating occurred in a subset of the cages during training, then in both cages during testing. females: were not allowed to mate during training.
39
pavlovian conditioning in quail results
% eggs fertilized was greater in CS+ cages for both sexes.
40
pavlovian conditioning in quail conclusion
pavlovian learning can affect fitness
41
learning macaques research question
how quickly can individuals learn to overcome innate preference?
42
learning macaques methods
6 participants offered 1-4 peanut halves choose 1: get 4 more choose 4: get 1 measure how quickly they learn to choose the smaller quantity
43
learning macaques results
fast learners and slow learners observed through the trials. all showed initial preference for 4, then learned to choose 1.
44
learning macaques conclusion
there is lots of variation in learning curves
45
social learning
using others as a source of information in learning
46
precocial
born in advanced stage in development
47
social learning in precocial birds research question
how to chicks learn the best plants to feed on?
48
social learning in precocial birds hypothesis
chicks can learn to identify important food plants from their mother’s food calls
49
social learning in precocial birds prediction
chicks should primarily eat foods associated with their mother’s food calls
50
social learning in precocial birds methods
record food eaten by hens and broods. record all food calls given by hens and the associated plant
51
social learning in precocial birds results
food calls given for 11 plants which comprised a high % of chick diet. plants with high protein got the most food calls.
52
social learning in precocial birds conclusion
chicks learn the most nutritious plants from their mother’s food
53
social information
using information from the behaviour of other individuals
54
local enhancement
individual’s focus to a particular part of the environment by the presence of another
55
public information
information obtained from activity or performance of others about the quality of an environmental parameter or resource
56
social learning in sticklebacks research question
do animals use local enhancement or public information to assess patch quality?
57
social learning in sticklebacks methods
local enhancement available: many individuals could indicate best patch public information available: observation of feeding success more important than number of individuals test fish observed demonstrator fish. 6 at food patch, 2 at no food patch. (local enhancement) test fish observed demonstrator fish, 6 at poor patch 2 at rich patch (public information) removed demonstrators and measure time test fish spent at patches
58
social learning in sicklebacks results
when demonstrators didnt feed, the focal fish spent more time in patch with most individuals when feeding rates differed, focal fish spent more time in patch with fewer individuals and more food
59
animal culture in birds
birds from different areas have different calls
60
water displacement in crows
crows were given various puzzles: drop stones into water to raise food treat up crows dropped stones into water instead of sand dropped sinking objects rather than floating solid rather than hollow into tube with higher water level. but failed challenges that had them assess the width of the tube and and counter intuitive cues with U-tube