November 1st, 2007 at 1:40 am (Uncategorized) · Edit

Kaiser, D. H., Zentall, T. R. & Galef, Jr., B. G. (1997)  Can imitation in pigeons be explained by local enhancement together with trial-and-error learning?  Psychological Science, 8 (6).  Retrieved October 31, 2007, from 
http://sociallearning.info/home/pdf/psychological%20science%208,6,%201997%20-%20imitation%20in%20pigeons.pdf

This journal article has interesting information which provides some rather good evidence of imitative learning in pigeons.  The researchers exposed observer pigeons in one of two control groups to a trainer pigeon.  In control group one, the trainer pigeon had no acquired learning of the task.  In the other control group the observer pigeons were exposed to a trainer pigeon who had been conditioned to eat from a feeder at variable intervals.  Immediately following each observer pigeon’s observation of the trainer pigeon, the demonstrater was replaced with the observer.  The pigeons in the control groups were significantly less likely to peck during the testing than were pigeons that had observed a conspecific demonstrater perform one of these acts. Imitative behavior might be accounted for by trial-and-error learning and the exposure to the motivational cues provided to the members of the learning group of pigeons by the simple presence of the conspecific. 

Lachlan, R. F., Crooks, L. & Laland, K. N.  Who follows whom?  Shoaling preferences and social leanring of foraging information in guppies.  Animal Behaviour, 56, (181-190).  Retrieved October 31, 2007, from http://readgroup.biology.ed.ac.uk/publications/docs/Lachlan98_AnBehv.pdf

 I really don’t know if this article is relevant to “rat behavior” but the article is very interesting and  explores the preferences and social learning of foraging information in guppies.  Guppies were more likely to learn to adopt the behaviour shown by members of a shoal of several demonatrators than a different behaviour shown by a single conspecific demonstrator.  This article posits that animals do not require advanced cognitive abilities to establish social learning.  Fish learn from large groups of fish and the article implies that learned information diffuses through fish populations in a non random, or directed manner.  These learning behaviours include foraging success, information about predators, routes and mating sites.