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Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards
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Crossmodal Pitch-Luminance Association in Tortoises.

Maria Loconsole1, Beatrice Malaman1, Gionata Stancher2

  • 1Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|September 16, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Hermann's tortoises spontaneously associate higher-pitched sounds with white and lower-pitched sounds with black, similar to humans and chimpanzees. This crossmodal association suggests shared perceptual strategies across diverse species.

Keywords:
Testudo hermannicomparative psychologycrossmodal associationscrossmodal correspondencespitch−luminance associationreptile cognitionspontaneous choice

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Comparative Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Crossmodal associations, spontaneous links between sensory modalities, are common in humans and other animals.
  • Previous research indicates pitch-luminance associations in humans and chimpanzees, but not in baboons or chickens.
  • The evolutionary origins of crossmodal associations remain debated, with possibilities including shared cognitive strategies or learned behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate pitch-luminance associations in a nonvocal reptile, the Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni).
  • To determine if tortoises exhibit spontaneous crossmodal associations similar to those observed in primates.

Main Methods:

  • A spontaneous food-searching task was designed for tortoises.
  • Tortoises were exposed to either higher-pitched (700 Hz) or lower-pitched (450 Hz) sounds.
  • The animals then chose to search for food behind either a light (white) or dark (black) colored wall.

Main Results:

  • Tortoises consistently associated higher-pitched sounds with the white wall.
  • Tortoises consistently associated lower-pitched sounds with the black wall.
  • These findings mirror the pitch-luminance associations observed in humans and chimpanzees.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides novel evidence of pitch-luminance association in Hermann's tortoises.
  • This suggests that phylogenetically distant species may share similar perceptual organization or statistical learning mechanisms.
  • The findings raise questions about whether these crossmodal associations are due to homology or convergent evolution.