Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quantity discrimination in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) is maintained after a 30-s retention interval in the large but not in the small number range

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Animal Cognition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The ability to discriminate between sets that differ in the number of elements can be useful in different contexts and may have survival and fitness consequences. As such, numerical/quantity discrimination has been demonstrated in a diversity of animal species. In the laboratory, this ability has been analyzed, for example, using binary choice tests. Furthermore, when the different number of items first presented to the subjects are subsequently obscured, i.e., are not visible at the moment of making a choice, the task requires memory for the size of the sets. In previous work, angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) have been found to be able to discriminate shoals differing in the number of shoal members both in the small (less than 4) and the large (4 or more) number range, and they were able to perform well even when a short memory retention interval (2–15 s) was imposed. In the current study, we increased the retention interval to 30 s during which the shoals to choose between were obscured, and investigated whether angelfish could show preference for the larger shoal they saw before this interval. Subjects were faced with a discrimination between numerically small shoals (≤4 fish) and also between numerically large (≥4 fish) shoals of conspecifics. We found angelfish not to be able to remember the location of larger versus smaller shoals in the small number range, but to exhibit significant memory for the larger shoal in the large number range as long as the ratio between these shoals was at least 2:1. These results, together with prior findings, suggest the existence of two separate quantity estimation systems, the object file system for small number of items that does not work with the longer retention interval and the analogue magnitude system for larger number of items that does.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abramson JZ, Hernández-Lloreda V, Call J, Colmenares F (2011) Relative quantity judgments in South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens). Anim Cognit 14:695–706

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agrillo C, Dadda M, Bisazza A (2007) Quantity discrimination in female mosquitofish. Anim Cognit 10:63–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agrillo C, Dadda M, Serena G, Bisazza A (2008) Do fish count? spontaneous discrimination of quantity in female mosquitofish. Anim Cognit 11:495–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agrillo C, Piffer L, Bisazza A (2010) Large number discrimination by mosquitofish. PLoS ONE 5:e15232. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015232

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Agrillo C, Piffer L, Bisazza A, Butterworth B (2012) Evidence for two numerical systems that are similar in humans and guppies. PLoS ONE 7:e31923. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031923

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Agrillo C, Miletto Petrazzini ME, Bisazza A (2014) Numerical acuity of fish is improved in the presence of moving targets, but only in the subitizing range. Anim Cognit 17:307–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong N, Garland A, Burns KC (2012) Memory for multiple cache locations and prey quantities in a food-hoarding songbird. Front Psychol 3:584. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00584

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baker JM, Morath J, Rodzon KS, Jordan KE (2012) A shared system of representation governing quantity discrimination in canids. Front Psychol 3:387. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00387

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bánszegi O, Urrutia A, Szenczi P, Hudson R (2016) More or less: spontaneous quantity discrimination in the domestic cat. Anim Cognit 19:879–888

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnard AM, Hughes KD, Gerhardt RR, JrL DiVincenti, Bovee JM, Cantlon JF (2013) Inherently analog quantity representations in olive baboons (Papio anubis). Front Psychol 4:253. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00253

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Benson-Amram S, Heinen VK, Dryer SL, Holekamp KE (2011) Numerical assessment and individual call discrimination by wild spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta. Anim Behav 82:743–752

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beran MJ, Beran MM (2004) Chimpanzees remember the results of one-by-one addition of food items to sets over extended time periods. Psychol Sci 15:94–99

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bogale BA, Aoyama M, Sugita S (2014) Spontaneous discrimination of food quantities in the jungle crow, Corvus macrorhynchos. Anim Behav 94:73–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cantlon JF, Brannon EM (2006) Shared system for ordering small and large numbers in monkeys and humans. Psychol Sci 17:401–406

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cantlon JF, Brannon EM (2007) Basic math in monkeys and college students. PLoS Biol 5:2912–2919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordes S, Brannon EM (2009a) Crossing the divide: infants discriminate small from large numerosities. Dev Psychol 45:1583–1594

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cordes S, Brannon EM (2009b) The relative salience of discrete and continuous quantity in young infants. Dev Sci 12:453–463

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cox L, Montrose VT (2016) Quantity discrimination in domestic rats, Rattus norvegicus. Animals 6:46. doi:10.3390/ani6080046

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Evans TA, Beran MJ, Harris EH, Rice DF (2009) Quantity judgments of sequentially presented food items by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). Anim Cognit 12:97–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feigenson L, Carey S, Hauser MD (2002a) The representations underlying infants’ choice of more: object files versus analog magnitudes. Psychol Sci 13:150–156

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feigenson L, Carey S, Spelke ES (2002b) Infants’ discrimination of number vs. continuous extent. Cognit Psychol 44:33–66

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feigenson L, Dehaene S, Spelke ES (2004) Core systems of number. Trends Cognit Sci 8:307–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsaktar MN, Nematollahi MA, Bisazza A (2016) Quantity discrimination in parental fish: female convict cichlid discriminate fry shoals of different sizes. Anim Cognit 19:959–964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frommen JG, Hiermes M, Bakker TCM (2009) Disentangling the effects of group size and density on shoaling decisions of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 63:1141–1148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garland A, Low J, Burns KC (2012) Large quantity discrimination by North Island robins (Petroica longipes). Anim Cognit 15:1129–1140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gebuis T, Cohen Kadosh R, Gevers W (2016) Sensory-integration system rather than approximate number system underlies numerosity processing: a critical review. Acta Psychol 171:17–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2011a) Can angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) count? Discrimination between different shoal sizes follows Weber’s law. Anim Cognit 14:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2011b) Spontaneous discrimination of small quantities: shoaling preferences in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare). Anim Cognit 14:565–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2012) Activity counts: the effect of swimming activity on quantity discrimination in fish. Front Psychology 3:484. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2013a) Quantification abilities in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare): the influence of continuous variables. Anim Cognit 16:373–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2013b) The role of body surface area in quantity discrimination in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare). PLoS ONE 8:e83880. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083880

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2015) Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) discriminate between small quantities: a role of memory. J Comp Psychol 129:78–83

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2016a) Discrimination of large quantities: Weber’s law and short-term memory in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare). Anim Behav 112:29–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Laplaza LM, Gerlai R (2016b) Short-term memory effects on crossing the boundary: discrimination between large and small quantities in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare). PLoS ONE 11:e0162923. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0162923

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hager MC, Helfman GS (1991) Safety in numbers: shoal size choice by minnows under predatory threat. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 29:271–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanus D, Call J (2007) Discrete quantity judgments in the great apes (Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus): the effect of presenting whole sets versus item-by-item. J Comp Psychol 121:241–249

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser MD, Carey S, Hauser LB (2000) Spontaneous number representation in semi-free ranging rhesus monkeys. Proc R Soc Lond B 267:829–833

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holm SA (1979) A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scand J Stat 6:65–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt S, Low J, Burns KC (2008) Adaptive numerical competency in a food-hoarding songbird. Proc R Soc Lond B 275:2373–2379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ioannou CC, Tosh CR, Neville L, Krause J (2008) The confusion effect—from neural networks to reduced predation risk. Behav Ecol 19:126–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly EM (2016) Counting on your friends: the role of social environment on quantity discrimination. Behav Proc 128:9–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krusche P, Uller C, Dicke U (2010) Quantity discrimination in salamanders. J Exp Biol 213:1822–1828

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Landeau L, Terborgh J (1986) Oddity and the ‘confusion effect’ in predation. Anim Behav 34:1372–1380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemaître J-F, Ramm SA, Hurst JL, Stockley P (2011) Social cues of sperm competition influence accessory reproductive gland size in a promiscuous mammal. Proc R Soc Lond B 278:1171–1176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucon-Xiccato T, Miletto Petrazzini ME, Agrillo C, Bisazza A (2015) Guppies discriminate between two quantities of food items but prioritize item size over total amount. Anim Behav 107:183–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahamane S, Grunig KL, Baker J, Young JK, Jordan KE (2014) Memory-based quantity discrimination in coyotes (Canis latrans). Anim Behav Cogn 1:341–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panteleeva S, Reznikova Z, Vygonyailova O (2013) Quantity judgments in the context of risk/reward decision making in striped field mice: first “count”, then hunt. Front Psychol 4:53. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00053

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Potrich D, Sovrano VA, Stancher G, Vallortigara G (2015) Quantity discrimination by zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Comp Psychol 129:388–393

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Praetorius W (1932) How the “king” lives at home. Aquarium 1(119–120):141

    Google Scholar 

  • Reznikova Z, Ryabko B (2011) Numerical competence in animals, with an insight from ants. Behaviour 148:405–434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rugani R, Fontanari L, Simoni E, Regolin L, Vallortigara G (2009) Arithmetic in newborn chicks. Proc R Soc Lond B 276:2451–2460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stancher G, Sovrano VA, Potrich D, Vallortigara G (2013) Discrimination of small quantities by fish (redtail splitfin, Xenotoca eiseni). Anim Cognit 16:307–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stancher G, Rugani R, Regolin L, Vallortigara G (2015) Numerical discrimination by frogs (Bombina orientalis). Anim Cognit 18:219–229

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tornick JK, Callahan ES, Gibson BM (2015) An investigation of quantity discrimination in Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana). J Comp Psychol 129:17–25

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ujfalussy DJ, Miklósi A, Bugnyar T, Kotrschal K (2014) Role of mental representations in quantity judgments by jackdaws (Corvus monedula). J Comp Psychol 128:11–20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Uller C (2008) Developmental and evolutionary considerations on numerical cognition. J Evol Psychol 6:1–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uller C, Lewis J (2009) Horses (Equus caballus) select the greater of two quantities in small numerical contrasts. Anim Cognit 12:733–738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Utrata E, Virányi Z, Range F (2012) Quantity discrimination in wolves (Canis lupus). Front Psychol 3:505. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00505

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research was supported by grant PSI2013-40768-P from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain) to LMG-L and an NSERC (Canada) Discovery grant to RG.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza de Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain

    Luis M. Gómez-Laplaza & Álvaro L. Caicoya

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada

    Robert Gerlai

Authors
  1. Luis M. Gómez-Laplaza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Álvaro L. Caicoya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert Gerlai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis M. Gómez-Laplaza.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

The experiments described here comply with the current law of the country (Spain) in which they were performed, and were approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the University of Oviedo (permit number: 13-INV-2010).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gómez-Laplaza, L.M., Caicoya, Á.L. & Gerlai, R. Quantity discrimination in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) is maintained after a 30-s retention interval in the large but not in the small number range. Anim Cogn 20, 829–840 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-017-1104-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-017-1104-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation