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Related Experiment Videos

Self-control in honeybees.

Ken Cheng1, Jennifer Peña, Melanie A Porter

  • 1Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia. kcheng@axon.bhs.mq.edu.au

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|July 18, 2002
PubMed
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Honeybees demonstrate significant self-control, choosing delayed rewards over immediate ones. This finding challenges the metabolic hypothesis, which predicts low self-control in species with high metabolic rates like bees.

Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Neuroscience
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Self-control involves choosing larger, delayed rewards over smaller, immediate ones, with impulsiveness being the opposite.
  • The metabolic hypothesis posits a negative correlation between self-control and metabolic rate across species.
  • Foraging honeybees possess high metabolic rates, suggesting they should exhibit limited self-control according to this hypothesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the self-control capabilities of foraging honeybees.
  • To test the validity of the metabolic hypothesis in the context of honeybee behavior.
  • To determine if honeybees exhibit self-control despite their high metabolic rates.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted presenting honeybees with choices between immediate and delayed rewards.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Reward choices included variations in sweetness and size to assess decision-making.
  • Behavioral responses were recorded to quantify self-control.

    • Main Results:

    • Honeybees consistently chose larger delayed rewards over smaller immediate rewards.
    • Bees also demonstrated a preference for sweeter delayed rewards over less sweet immediate options.
    • The observed self-control in bees contradicts predictions derived from the metabolic hypothesis.

    Conclusions:

    • Foraging honeybees exhibit a significant degree of self-control.
    • The metabolic hypothesis does not accurately predict self-control levels in honeybees.
    • Honeybee behavior suggests complex decision-making processes that support long-term colony benefits over immediate gratification.