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Related Concept Videos

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Observed reaching speed signals stimulus value and informs foraging.

Luke McEllin¹, Arianna Curioni², Günther Knoblich¹

¹Social Mind and Body group (SOMBY), Social Mind Center, Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Vienna, Austria.

|April 19, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Observers can infer the value of environmental stimuli by watching how quickly others reach for them. This action understanding helps optimize foraging decisions and learn from others' behavior.

Keywords:

Action understanding Foraging Kinematics Signaling Social learning

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Integrating Visual Psychophysical Assays within a Y-Maze to Isolate the Role that Visual Features Play in Navigational Decisions

Integrating Visual Psychophysical Assays within a Y-Maze to Isolate the Role that Visual Features Play in Navigational Decisions

Published on: May 2, 2019

Author Spotlight: Exploring Behavioral Pathways Through Cross-Species Insights in Foraging and Communication

Author Spotlight: Exploring Behavioral Pathways Through Cross-Species Insights in Foraging and Communication

Published on: November 17, 2023

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Behavioral Ecology
Social Learning

Background:

Optimal foraging theory balances costs and rewards in decision-making.
Stimulus value is linked to reaching movement speed in humans and animals.
Social learning is crucial for acquiring information about environmental stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if observers infer stimulus value from an actor's movement speed.
To determine if observers use movement speed cues to guide their own foraging behavior.
To explore the role of action understanding in social foraging.

Main Methods:

Replicated the stimulus value-movement speed correlation in a foraging task.
Conducted experiments where observers inferred stimulus value from actor's reaching speed.
Assessed observer foraging preferences and effort investment based on observed actions.

Main Results:

Movement speed accurately predicted stimulus value for observers.
Observers adjusted their foraging preferences and effort based on inferred stimulus value.
Action understanding, specifically movement kinematics, informed explore-exploit decisions.

Conclusions:

Inferred movement speed is a key cue for social foraging.
Action understanding significantly influences foraging strategies.
Observing others' actions provides valuable information for optimizing individual foraging behavior.