Modifying the object-choice task: is the way you look important for ravens?
Christian Schloegl1, Kurt Kotrschal, Thomas Bugnyar
1Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Grünau im Almtal, Austria. chris_schloegl@web.de
Behavioural Processes
|July 24, 2007
Summary
Common ravens can follow gaze but struggle with object-choice tasks for hidden food. Procedural changes improved performance, but this was attributed to learning, not understanding gaze cues for foraging.
Area of Science:
- Animal Cognition
- Avian Behavior
- Interspecific Communication
Background:
- Many animals exhibit difficulties in utilizing gaze cues for locating hidden food in object-choice tasks.
- While chimpanzees and common ravens can follow gaze geometrically, they often fail in these specific tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if procedural modifications, successful in chimpanzees, could enhance ravens' performance in object-choice tasks.
- To determine if improved performance in ravens stems from understanding gaze cues or individual learning.
Main Methods:
- Seven common ravens were tested in object-choice tasks with modified conditions.
- Modifications included experimenter approach while gazing, gaze cue accompanied by sound, and experimenter visual access to food.
- A follow-up experiment assessed reliance on conspecific gaze cues in a natural foraging context.
Main Results:
- Two out of seven ravens performed above chance in some modified conditions.
- Performance improvement was attributed to individual learning rather than comprehension of the communicative intent.
- Follow-up experiments indicated ravens do not rely on conspecific gaze cues for finding food in natural settings.
Conclusions:
- Common ravens' ability to follow gaze does not readily transfer to foraging situations involving hidden food.
- Ravens' performance improvements in object-choice tasks are likely due to associative learning, not understanding gaze cues.
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