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Related Experiment Videos

Preferences for fixed and variable food sources: variability in amount and delay

M Bateson1, A Kacelnik

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|May 1, 1995
PubMed
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Starlings showed a preference for variable delays to food but avoided variable amounts of food. These foraging decisions in variable environments challenge current theories.

Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Behavioral ecology
  • Foraging theory

Background:

  • Environmental variability influences foraging decisions, but preferences for delay versus amount variability are not well understood.
  • Existing research lacks mechanistic or functional explanations for why animals might prefer variable delays but avoid variable rewards.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate starling preferences between fixed and variable options concerning delay to reward and amount of reward.
  • To test theoretical models explaining foraging decisions under environmental variability.

Main Methods:

  • Starlings were presented with choices between a fixed foraging option and a variable foraging option in two treatments (A and D).
  • Treatment A varied the amount of food (3 or 7 units) while keeping delay constant (20s).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Treatment D varied the delay to food (2.5s or 60.5s) while keeping the amount constant (5 units).

    • Main Results:

    • Starlings strongly preferred the variable option in Treatment D (variable delay).
    • Starlings weakly avoided the variable option in Treatment A (variable amount).
    • The programmed ratio of reward to time was equalized between fixed and variable options in both treatments.

    Conclusions:

    • The results suggest that animals may prefer variability in delay but not in reward amount.
    • Scalar expectancy theory, incorporating Weber's law, better explains these foraging preferences than constrained rate maximization.
    • This study provides empirical data to refine models of foraging behavior under uncertainty.