Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Social learning in common ravens, Corvus corax.

Fritz1, Kotrschal

  • 1Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle and Institute of Zoology, University of Vienna

Animal Behaviour
|March 8, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Common ravens learned motor tasks faster when observing a conspecific model. Observers showed quicker box approaches and less fear, indicating social learning enhanced task acquisition.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The repercussions of cranial war trauma on the traffic in the United Kingdom.

Bulletin de la Societe belge d'ophtalmologie·2010
Same author

Changes in the surface structure of purple membrane upon illumination measured by atomic force microscopy.

Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces·2000
Same author

Reply to "What', 'where' and 'how' in auditory cortex'

Nature neuroscience·2000
Same author

Fragment kinetic energies and modes of fragment formation

Physical review letters·2000
Same author

Foraging methods can affect patch choice: an experimental study in Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).

Behavioural processes·2000
Same author

Stimulus enhancement in greylag geese: socially mediated learning of an operant task.

Animal behaviour·2000

Area of Science:

  • Ethology
  • Cognitive Ethology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Social learning is crucial for skill acquisition in many species.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of social learning, such as stimulus enhancement and motor imitation, is key to understanding cognitive evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if observing a conspecific model facilitates motor task acquisition in common ravens.
  • To differentiate between stimulus enhancement and motor imitation as potential learning mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment involving model-observer pairings and control dyads of common ravens.
  • Task: opening boxes with hidden meat rewards using novel techniques.
  • Observation of opening methods, approach latency, and fear behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Observer ravens learned to use both levering and pulling techniques, unlike controls who only levered.
  • Observers approached boxes faster and exhibited less fear compared to control birds.
  • Scrounging of rewards by observers did not impede learning.

Conclusions:

  • The presence of a conspecific model significantly enhances motor task acquisition in common ravens.
  • Both stimulus enhancement and motor imitation likely contribute to the observed social learning.
  • Social facilitation, rather than just imitation, may play a role in this behavior.

Related Experiment Videos