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First-sight recognition of touched objects shows that chicks can solve Molyneux's problem
Elisabetta Versace1, Laura Freeland1, Michael G Emmerson1
1Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
Biology Letters
|April 2, 2024
Summary
Newly hatched chicks can recognize objects by sight after only touching them, demonstrating innate cross-modal recognition. This finding suggests that some brain functions for integrating senses are present from birth, even without prior visual experience.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Comparative Psychology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- The Molyneux problem, posed in 1688, questions whether vision and touch can be linked without prior multimodal experience.
- Investigating cross-modal recognition in humans presents ethical and practical challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cross-modal recognition in visually inexperienced animals.
- To determine if cross-modal recognition requires prior multimodal experience.
Main Methods:
- Poultry chicks were hatched and reared in darkness.
- Chicks were exposed to tactile stimuli (smooth or bumpy) for 24 hours.
- Immediately after tactile exposure, chicks underwent a visual recognition test during their first experience with light.
Main Results:
- Visually inexperienced chicks exposed to tactile smooth stimuli showed a preference for visual smooth stimuli.
- Chicks exposed to tactile bumpy stimuli did not show a similar preference for visual bumpy stimuli.
- Results indicate successful cross-modal recognition in chicks without prior visual input.
Conclusions:
- Cross-modal recognition can occur without prior multimodal experience.
- Supra-modal brain areas in precocial species appear functional at birth.
- This research opens avenues for studying innate cross-modal cognition independent of visual experience.
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