Navigation and homing

Question 1

Define naviagtion

Answer 1

Animal’s ability to make its way to a desired location

Question 2

Define homing

Answer 2

Specific use of navigation to return home

Question 3

Define migration

Answer 3

Seasonal movement of animals from one region to another

Question 4

What is path integration?

Answer 4

The ability to return to the starting point after visiting several locations without the aid of external cues, based on ditance & direction vectors, observed in vertebrate and invertebrate species

Question 5

What 3 types of cells have been identified which are used for navigation?

Answer 5

• place cells
• head direction cells
• grid cells

Question 6

How have ants been shown to determine location?

Answer 6

Number of steps

Question 7

What are compasses?

Answer 7

The ability to use planetary/exoplanetary cues to efficiently move from one location to another
Information on: heading, time-compensation and duration

Question 8

Which species have been shown to rely on solar, star and magnetic cues?

Answer 8

solar: bees, pigeons, fish, bats
star: blackcaps, seals
magnetic: pigeons, bats, lobsters, turtles

Question 9

Define a landmark

Answer 9

An object or gradient in the environment that aids an individual to navigate to a particular location

Question 10

What are the 3 types of landmark?

Answer 10

1. Beacon - can be odor or social
2. Landmark en route - multiple landmarks along a route
3. Position fixing - encode landmarks around goal location

Question 11

What types of cues have mongolian gerbils and rats been shown to use?

Answer 11

gerbil - object cues

rat - use geometric cues

Question 12

What is the geometric model? What flaws have been discovered with it?

Answer 12

• That humans first learn geometry and then override this with use of features (use of language)
• However increase in room size allows apes and toddlers to solve this task (difference in prioritisation)

Question 13

What types of cues to apes preferentially encode?

Answer 13

• Spatial cues (same as 1 year old humans)

- However is parameters are changed they encode features

Question 14

What is the cognitive map developed by Tolman?

Answer 14

Representation of distances and directions between all known locations so far experienced

Question 15

What are a) B-coordinate maps b) mosaic maps c) Network maps d) Eudidean cognitive maps

Answer 15

a) direction home from A
b) direction home from multiple points
c) all known routes
d) all known distances and directions