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Performance on the Hamilton search task, and the influence of lateralization, in captive orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica)

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Abstract

Psittacines are generally considered to possess cognitive abilities comparable to those of primates. Most psittacine research has evaluated performance on standardized complex cognition tasks, but studies of basic cognitive processes are limited. We tested orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica) on a spatial foraging assessment, the Hamilton search task. This task is a standardized test used in human and non-human primate studies. It has multiple phases, which require trial and error learning, learning set breaking, and spatial memory. We investigated search strategies used to complete the task, cognitive flexibility, and long-term memory for the task. We also assessed the effects of individual strength of motor lateralization (foot preference) and sex on task performance. Almost all (92 %) of the parrots acquired the task. All had significant foot preferences, with 69 % preferring their left foot, and showed side preferences contralateral to their preferred limb during location selection. The parrots were able to alter their search strategies when reward contingencies changed, demonstrating cognitive flexibility. They were also able to remember the task over a 6-month period. Lateralization had a significant influence on learning set acquisition but no effect on cognitive flexibility. There were no sex differences. To our knowledge, this is the first cognitive study using this particular species and one of the few studies of cognitive abilities in any Neotropical parrot species.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the W.K. Kellogg Endowment and the Psittacine Research Project; V.A.C. was also supported by the Jastro Shields Research Fellowship, Kratzer, Ogasawara, Vohra Scholarship, and the Hart, Cole, Goss Fellowship. We gratefully acknowledge the infrastructure support of the Department of Animal Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the California Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of California-Davis. V.A.C. thanks the many undergraduate student interns that worked to socialize the parrots, especially Sarah Mounedji and Kelsey James Kavanaugh, as well as the staff at the UC Davis Hopkins Avian Research Facility, especially Kristy Smith. We are grateful to James Ha for constructive suggestions on implementing the Hamilton Search Task.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Biology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Victoria A. Cussen

  2. Department of Animal Science and Center for Animal Welfare, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Joy A. Mench

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  1. Victoria A. Cussen
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  2. Joy A. Mench
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Correspondence to Joy A. Mench.

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Cussen, V.A., Mench, J.A. Performance on the Hamilton search task, and the influence of lateralization, in captive orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica). Anim Cogn 17, 901–909 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0723-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0723-y

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