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Effect of practice on paw preference in a reaching task in cats
1Centre de recherche cerveau et cognition, UMR 9940, Faculté de Médecine de Rangueil, Toulouse, France.
Summary
Cat paw preference shifts with practice. Initially favoring the left paw in a reaching task, cats showed increased right paw use and ambidexterity after training, suggesting adaptability in motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Comparative psychology
- Animal behavior
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Paw preference, a form of lateralization, is observed in many animal species.
- Understanding paw preference in cats can provide insights into motor control and brain lateralization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in paw preference and performance in cats during a visuo-motor reaching task.
- To determine if practice influences paw bias and skill acquisition in felines.
Main Methods:
- Twelve adult male cats were trained on a complex visuo-motor reaching task targeting a moving object.
- Paw usage, accuracy, and speed were recorded during early and late stages of training.
Main Results:
- Initially, 80.7% of trials were performed with the left paw, with 11 out of 12 cats showing a left paw bias.
- After practice, left paw use decreased to 71.4%, with two cats becoming ambidextrous or switching paw preference.
- Cats increased the use of their faster and more accurate paw, regardless of initial preference, and shifted towards ambidexterity when performance was mixed.
Conclusions:
- Cats exhibit a strong left paw bias in complex reaching tasks, which diminishes with practice.
- Motor learning and skill refinement can lead to changes in paw preference and increased ambidexterity.
- The findings suggest a potential shift in hemispheric dominance as the task becomes more routinized.