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Rafael S Rodrigues1, Cyrus Kirkman2, Miriam Garcia-Mijares1

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Pigeons learned to navigate a PacMan-like game using touchscreen controls. Some birds demonstrated insight and functional generalization of learned navigation skills in novel puzzle tasks.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Animal Behavior
  • Comparative Psychology

Background:

  • Video games are utilized to study problem-solving skills.
  • A novel touchscreen grid-world procedure, inspired by PacMan, was developed.
  • The procedure aims to investigate insight learning in animals, building on prior research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a new procedure for studying insight in pigeons.
  • To assess pigeons' ability to learn and generalize navigation strategies in a virtual environment.
  • To examine the role of touchscreen interaction in complex problem-solving tasks.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons were trained on a touchscreen task involving navigating a virtual PacMan to a goal.
  • Training included learning to navigate barriers and utilize portals for transportation.
  • The study tested for functional generalization of learned skills in novel puzzle configurations.

Main Results:

  • Some pigeons achieved high levels of control in navigating the virtual PacMan.
  • Evidence of functional generalization of learned navigation tools was observed.
  • Subjects demonstrated insights into solving novel puzzle tasks.

Conclusions:

  • The redesigned PacMan-like procedure is effective for studying insight and generalization in pigeons.
  • Pigeons can learn complex touchscreen navigation and apply learned strategies to new problems.
  • This study provides a valuable model for investigating cognitive processes in non-human animals.