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Automated Operant Conditioning Devices for Fish. Do They Work?

Elia Gatto¹, Maria Santacà¹, Ilaria Verza¹

¹Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.

Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI

|June 2, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Automated training devices show promise for fish cognition research but struggle with numerical tasks in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Modifications improved performance, yet manual training remains superior for complex cognitive assessments.

Keywords:

Poecilia reticulata Skinner box automated conditioning fish cognition learning constraints numerical discrimination

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Area of Science:

Comparative Cognition
Neurobiology
Animal Behavior

Background:

Teleosts are increasingly used in comparative cognition and neurobiology.
Automated conditioning devices offer cost-effectiveness and comparability with warm-blooded species research.
Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) possess documented numerical abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

To benchmark a new automated conditioning device for fish using numerical discrimination tasks.
To identify limitations of automated conditioning in teleosts compared to manual methods.
To explore modifications to improve automated device performance for cognitive tasks.

Main Methods:

Guppies were trained using a new automated device and a standard manual procedure on numerical discrimination tasks.
The study involved benchmarking the automated device against manual training.
Modifications to the conditioning chamber and procedure were tested to enhance automated device efficiency.

Main Results:

Guppies easily mastered color/shape discrimination with the automated device but performed poorly on numerical tasks.
Manual training yielded high accuracy in numerical discriminations, including complex ones (e.g., 4 vs. 5 items).
Automated device modifications improved numerical performance but did not match manual training effectiveness.

Conclusions:

Current automated conditioning technology has limitations for teleost cognitive research, particularly for numerical tasks.
Automated devices require significant adaptation to effectively assess complex cognition in small laboratory fish.
Direct comparison of teleost cognition with mammals and birds using current automated systems is challenging.