Delayed gratification: A grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) will wait for more tokens

Area of Science:

• Comparative psychology
• Animal cognition
• Behavioral economics

Background:

• Delay of gratification is a key metric for self-control and future planning.
• While some birds wait for higher quality rewards, none wait for greater quantity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if Grey parrots can delay gratification for a larger quantity of rewards.
• To explore the role of symbolic distancing in enhancing executive function in avian species.

Main Methods:

• A Grey parrot was trained using a token system where tokens represented future rewards.
• The parrot's ability to wait for a better quantity reward was assessed over a 15-minute period.

Main Results:

• The Grey parrot successfully delayed gratification, waiting up to 15 minutes for a larger quantity of food.
• Symbolic distancing, using tokens instead of immediate rewards, enabled this behavior.

Conclusions:

• Grey parrots can learn to delay gratification for increased reward quantity through symbolic representation.
• Symbolic distancing may be an effective method for training executive functions in birds, comparable to human children.