Abstract
We investigated whether jungle crows can learn concepts by using printouts of shapes in a simultaneous two-alternative task. Jungle crows were first trained with a red triangle and red square until they reached the discrimination criterion (80 % of correct choices in two blocks of 10 trials each). Then, we tested crows with successive transfer tests to investigate both the discrimination cues being used and concept formation ability, by using novel triangular and non-triangular stimuli. All of the jungle crows learnt to discriminate between the triangle and square during training. The discrimination performance was generally not affected either by changes in the colour of the stimuli or when both shape and colour cues conflicted, with the previously non-rewarded shape but matching colour (red square) versus rewarded shape but non-matching colour (green triangle). The use of only outlines of the familiar stimuli also did not affect discrimination behaviour of crows. In addition, crows significantly discriminated novel triangular shapes during the limited trials given, suggesting their ability to form the concept of triangularity. However, failure to discriminate when the novel stimuli size deviated from the original suggests that there is a limit to shape concept formation in a familiar–novel context in the jungle crow.
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Acknowledgments
The research was supported by a Grant for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 23248053), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers (No. P12413) and a Grant for Scientific Research from Utsunomiya University Center for Optical Research and Education.
Ethical standard
Permits to trap jungle crows were obtained from Niiza city (permit for the catching of wild animals No. 01-02) and from the Tochigi prefecture (No. 0010). Permit to conduct the study was obtained from Utsunomiya University, and all procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals at Utsunomiya University (No. A10-0007).
Conflict of interest
We the authors of this paper entitled ‘Shape discrimination and concept formation in the jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)’ hereby declare that we do not have a financial relationship and that there is no conflict of interest with any of the organizations that sponsored this research.
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Bogale, B.A., Sugita, S. Shape discrimination and concept formation in the jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos). Anim Cogn 17, 105–111 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0642-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0642-y