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 Concept Videos

Behaviorism01:28

Behaviorism

4.1K
The field of behaviorism was pioneered by figures such as Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner fundamentally shifted the focus of psychology to the observable and controllable aspects of human and animal behavior. This shift marked a critical evolution in the discipline, emphasizing scientific rigor and experimental methodology.
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
4.1K
Associative Learning01:27

Associative Learning

916
Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
916
Law of Effect01:06

Law of Effect

2.2K
B.F. Skinner, a prominent figure in behavioral psychology, introduced operant conditioning by emphasizing the role of consequences in shaping behavior. This theory builds upon the law of effect proposed by Edward Thorndike, which posits that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are likely to be repeated. In contrast, those followed by unsatisfying outcomes are less likely to recur.
Edward Thorndike's foundational work involved studying learning in animals, particularly using puzzle...
2.2K
Classical Conditioning01:18

Classical Conditioning

1.4K
Associative learning, a core principle in behavioral psychology, involves forming connections between events and facilitating learned responses. This concept is vividly illustrated by classical conditioning, a process extensively studied by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov's pioneering research on dogs' digestive systems led to the discovery that behaviors can be learned through association, laying the groundwork for classical conditioning.
Ivan Pavlov observed that dogs...
1.4K
Behavior Modification01:21

Behavior Modification

418
Behavioral approaches have often been criticized for ignoring mental processes and focusing solely on observable behavior. However, these approaches provide an optimistic perspective for individuals seeking to change their behaviors. Rather than concentrating on intrinsic personality traits, behavioral approaches suggest that even longstanding habits can be modified by changing the reward contingencies that maintain them.
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...
418
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

888
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
888

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Streaming for fish? Screen-based social exposure disrupts brain development.

Biology letters·2026
Same author

The Impacts of Pregnancy on Cognition and Cell Proliferation in a Live-Bearing Fish (Poeciliopsis gracilis).

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same author

Predation selection impacts social information use in guppies (<i>Poecilia reticulata</i>).

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026
Same author

The evolution of eyespots in skates and rays.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026
Same author

Inbreeding strategies under social and sexual complexity: insights from female and male guppies.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026
Same author

Cognitive advantages of large brains persist during an experimental heatwave.

Biology letters·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae
09:22

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae

Published on: February 18, 2013

19.5K

Artificial selection for schooling behaviour and its effects on associative learning abilities.

Regina Vega-Trejo1, Annika Boussard2, Lotta Wallander2

  • 1Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden reginavegatrejo@gmail.com.

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|November 3, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Artificial selection for schooling behavior in guppies showed weak support for the distributed cognition hypothesis. Cognitive abilities related to collective motion may lie outside associative learning domains tested.

Keywords:
CognitionCollective motionPoeciliidaeSocial behaviour

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Training of Laboratory Animals for Gentle and Stress-Free Handling
05:21

Author Spotlight: Training of Laboratory Animals for Gentle and Stress-Free Handling

Published on: February 16, 2024

3.3K
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats
06:57

Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats

Published on: February 4, 2016

11.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae
09:22

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae

Published on: February 18, 2013

19.5K
Author Spotlight: Training of Laboratory Animals for Gentle and Stress-Free Handling
05:21

Author Spotlight: Training of Laboratory Animals for Gentle and Stress-Free Handling

Published on: February 16, 2024

3.3K
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats
06:57

Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats

Published on: February 4, 2016

11.3K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Animal behavior
  • Cognitive science

Background:

  • Collective behavior evolution may impact individual cognition.
  • The distributed cognition hypothesis posits that group reliance reduces selection pressure on individual cognitive abilities.
  • The precise relationship between collective behavior and individual cognition remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how cognitive processes respond to evolutionary changes in collective motion.
  • To test the distributed cognition hypothesis using guppies selected for schooling behavior.
  • To assess associative learning abilities in guppies with differing schooling propensities.

Main Methods:

  • Artificially selected replicate lines of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) for high and low schooling behavior (group polarization).
  • Assessed associative learning in female guppies across multiple cognitive assays: color, reversal, social, and spatial learning (individual and collective).
  • Compared learning performance between control and selection lines.

Main Results:

  • Polarization-selected guppies were slower in color associative learning compared to controls.
  • Polarization-selected guppies were less likely to reach a learning criterion in individual spatial associative learning.
  • Overall, weak support for the distributed cognition hypothesis was found across tested cognitive domains.

Conclusions:

  • Evolutionary selection for collective behavior has limited, domain-specific effects on associative learning in guppies.
  • Cognitive implications of selection for collective behavior may not involve food-motivated associative learning for visual and spatial cues.
  • Further research is needed to explore cognitive changes associated with collective behavior evolution in other domains.