Delayed gratification: A grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) will wait for a better reward

Area of Science:

• Cognitive ethology
• Comparative psychology
• Animal behavior

Background:

• Delay of gratification is a key indicator of self-control and future planning.
• This ability has been studied extensively in humans, particularly children, and nonhuman animals.
• Previous research often involves varying reward visibility and quantity/quality trade-offs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the capacity for delay of gratification in a Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus).
• To assess if parrots can understand and respond to a verbal cue ('wait') for delayed rewards.
• To determine the influence of reward and experimenter visibility on the parrot's waiting behavior.

Main Methods:

• A Grey parrot trained in English speech was used.
• The parrot was trained to respond to the verbal cue 'wait'.
• The task involved waiting for a better quality reward, with conditions varying reward and experimenter visibility.

Main Results:

• The parrot successfully responded to the 'wait' cue for up to 15 minutes.
• The parrot waited for a better quality reward.
• Waiting behavior was consistent regardless of whether the reward or experimenter was in view.

Conclusions:

• Grey parrots exhibit a significant capacity for delay of gratification.
• Parrots demonstrate self-control and future-oriented decision-making comparable to young children.
• Verbal cues can effectively modulate delayed reward-seeking behavior in parrots.