AL&C Lecture 4 - Animal Memory

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Questions and Answers

If an animal's current behavior is influenced by a past experience, which cognitive function is primarily at play?

  • Memory (correct)
  • Learning
  • Attention
  • Perception

Which factor is tested when examining an animal's ability to remember the location of hidden food?

  • Numerical competence
  • Time perception
  • Categorization skills
  • Memory capacity (correct)

Which bird species is well-known for its ability to remember the locations of a large number of hidden food caches?

  • Parrot
  • Pigeon
  • Migratory bird
  • Clark's nutcracker (correct)

In studies by Vaughan and Greene (1984), what were pigeons trained to discriminate between?

<p>Photographs (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does it imply when pigeons are successfully trained to distinguish between complex images, such as photographs?

<p>Their memory capacity for visual stimuli is significant. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In animal memory studies, what does 'time - periodic' refer to?

<p>Cycles of activity occurring over periods of time. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which biological process is most closely related to the 'time - periodic' aspect of animal memory?

<p>Circadian clock (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did the studies by Church & Deluty (1977) and Church & Gibbon (1982) primarily investigate regarding animal memory?

<p>Interval timing (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the main claim to fame of Clever Hans, the horse?

<p>Alleged ability to perform arithmetic (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who investigated Clever Hans and determined that the horse was not actually performing arithmetic?

<p>Pfungst (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Lloyd Morgan's Canon propose regarding the interpretation of animal behavior?

<p>Animal actions should be explained as simply as possible without assuming higher-level cognitive processes. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In a study by Meck & Church (1983), rats pressed a lever based on the number of presented tones. What did this experiment primarily assess?

<p>Numerical competence (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What aspect was controlled in the Meck & Church (1983) study to ensure rats were responding to number of tones and not to another auditory factor?

<p>Total length of time tones presented (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Brannon & Terrace (2000) explore in monkeys regarding numerical abilities?

<p>Magnitude representation (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was investigated in the Rugani, Regotin, & Vallortigara (2007) study with five-day-old chicks?

<p>Numerical abilities (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What cognitive ability was Pepperberg (1994) investigating in parrots?

<p>Numerical concept (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who conducted studies on categorization in animals using photographic stimuli?

<p>Herrnstein, Loveland, &amp; Cable (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Cerella (1979) conducted studies exploring what aspect of animal cognition?

<p>Categorization (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT one of the explanations for categorization?

<p>Emotional learning (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where a response is elicited by stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus?

<p>Stimulus generalization (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT an example of animal memory from the content?

<p>Attention (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a property of animal memory?

<p>Selective attention (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does 'habituation' refer to in the context of animal learning?

<p>A decreased response to a repeated stimulus (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to Whitlow's study (1975) of rabbits, what was measured in relation to habituation?

<p>Plethysmograph (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Wagner's (1976) theory primarily focused on explaining?

<p>The relationship between short-term and long-term memory (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In Wagner's theory, which component is responsible for maintaining information temporarily?

<p>Short term store (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'effector fatigue' refer to in the context of habituation?

<p>The physiological system responsible for producing a response (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of physiological interference is caused by the receptor system?

<p>Retroactive interference (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following scenarios illustrates habituation?

<p>A bird initially startled by a loud noise eventually ignores it. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does dishabituation differ from the initial response to a stimulus before habituation?

<p>Dishabituation results in a stronger response. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

If exposure to a new stimulus causes a temporarily recovered response to a previously habituated stimulus, what has occurred?

<p>Dishabituation (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of 'rehearsal' in Wagner's memory model?

<p>To prevent information decay in short-term memory (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the context of categorization, what does 'exemplar learning' involve?

<p>Learning to categorize new instances based on memory of specific examples (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which cognitive process is illustrated when an animal responds similarly to different stimuli that share common characteristics?

<p>Stimulus generalization (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How would you characterize 'feature learning' as an explanation for Categorization?

<p>Learning to categorize items based on specific features instead of specific examples (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is the study of 'Clever Hans' considered important?

<p>It highlighted potential pitfalls in experimental design and interpretation of animal behavior (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to Lloyd Morgan, how should one interpret animal behavior?

<p>Using the simplest explanation possible (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what context are consolidation theories relevant to animal memory?

<p>Explaining how memories become stable over time (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of retrieval theories in the study of animal memory?

<p>The mechanisms through which stored memories are accessed and used (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes a radial arm maze?

<p>A test to assess spatial memory by observing an animal's foraging behavior (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered an example of how animals use memory?

<p>Preferring a certain type of food. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What underlying process do consolidation theories primarily address in the context of memory?

<p>How memories transition from a fragile to a stable state. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is understanding stimulus generalization essential when studying animal categorization?

<p>It explains why an animal might respond to several similar stimuli (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Migratory birds using celestial cues to navigate during migration is an example of what?

<p>Time - periodic. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do 'effector fatigue' and 'receptor fatigue' differ in their impact on habituation?

<p>'Effector fatigue' involves a temporary inability of the muscles to respond, while 'receptor fatigue' involves a temporary desensitization of sensory receptors. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to Wagner's theory, what is the role of 'rehearsal' in memory?

<p>Rehearsal helps temporarily maintain information, making it more likely to transfer to long-term memory. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does 'exemplar learning' suggest about how animals categorize stimuli?

<p>Animals memorize specific examples of categories and compare new stimuli to these. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the concept of 'feature learning' explain categorization in animals?

<p>Animals identify key characteristics to assign objects to categories. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is emphasized by Lloyd Morgan's Canon regarding animal cognition?

<p>Always assume the simplest psychological explanation. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did controlling the length of time the tones were presented in Meck & Church's (1983) study help determine what the rats were responding to?

<p>It ensured rats were responding to the number of tones rather than the cumulative auditory exposure time. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

What is animal memory?

Animal memory is when current behavior is influenced by past experience.

What is memory capacity?

The maximum amount of information that can be retained.

Hidden food location

Species like Clark's nutcracker can recall locations of hidden food months later.

Photograph memorization

Pigeons can memorize and distinguish between a large number of photographs.

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What is periodic timing?

Periodic timing of activities such as cycles over periods of time.

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What is the circadian clock?

Internal biological clock that regulates activity, sleep, and feeding patterns.

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Time interval experiments

An experiment conducted by Church & Deluty. Measures response timing to an interval.

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Who is Clever Hans?

A horse trained by Von Osten and tested by Pfungst that was believed to have cognitive capabilities.

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Lloyd Morgan's canon

Avoid interpreting actions as based on higher mental faculties if they can be explained by simpler ones.

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Rat number discrimination

Rats press different levers based on number of tones.

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Monkey Number Learning

Monkeys learn abstract numerical concepts.

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Chick number discrimination

Five-day old chicks number discrimination

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Parrot Number Skills

Parrots can learn and use numerical concepts.

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What is categorization?

Assigning stimuli into groups based on similar features.

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Categorization

In his research, Herrnstein studies pigeons' ability to categorize.

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What are innate categories?

Organizing stimuli into groups occurs as a direct result of genetic factors.

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What is exemplar learning?

A learning strategy relying on storing and retrieving specific instances, rather than forming general rules.

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What is feature learning?

A type of learning in which organisms identify and utilize specific characteristics.

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What is exemplar generalization?

Applying what was learned from specific examples to new, similar situations.

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What is stimulus generalization decrement?

The tendency to lose the ability to categorize and thus respond to stimuli different from the ones that were originally trained upon.

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What is short-term memory?

Temporary storage for information currently in use

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What is habituation?

Decreased response to stimulus after repeated exposure.

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Habituation

Experiment with rabbits that demonstrated a reduction of responsiveness to a stimulus as a result of its repeated presentation.

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What is Wagner's theory?

Uses short term store, rehearsal and long term store.

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What is Effector fatigue?

An explanation for short-term memory loss due to sensory or motor limitations.

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What is receptor fatigue?

Short-term memory loss due to sensory limitations.

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What is retroactive interference?

A new stimulus interferes with the retrieval of a previously learned stimulus.

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Study Notes

Animal Memory Overview

  • Animal memory is seen when current behavior is influenced by past experiences.
  • The key examples of animal memory include capacity, time, number, and categories.
  • Important properties of animal memory are short-term memory, habituation, radial arm maze performance, long-term memory, consolidation, and retrieval theories.

Capacity

  • Capacity involves the location of hidden food, as seen in Clark's nutcracker (Vander Wall, 1982).
  • Pigeons were able to differentiate between photographs (Vaughan & Greene, 1984).

Time - Periodic

  • Time involves cycles of activity over periods of time
  • The circadian clock is key to periodic time.
  • Rodents display memory for periodic time (Aschoff, 1955; Bolles & Lorge, 1962).
  • Migratory birds exhibit memory for periodic time (Berthold, 1968).
  • Insects also demonstrates memory for periodic time (Roberts, 1965).

Time - Interval

  • Church & Deluty researched time interval memory in 1977.
  • Church & Gibbon studied time interval memory in 1982.

Number

  • Clever Hans was a horse, trained by Von Osten and tested by Pfungst in 1908.
  • Rats was shown to demonstrate number recognition (Meck & Church, 1983) and could differentiate number of tones by pressing a left or right lever.
  • Tones presented were equated in length of time
  • Monkeys can also demonstrate number recognition (Brannon & Terrace, 2000).
  • Even five-day-old chicks can differentiate number (Rugani, Regotin & Vallortigara, 2007).
  • Parrots possess memory for number as well (Pepperberg, 1994).

Categories

  • Pigeons can categorize items (Herrnstein, Loveland & Cable, 1976).
  • Cerella researched categorization memory in 1979.

Explanations for Categorization

  • Some categories may be innate.
  • Exemplar learning can explain categorization.
  • Feature learning is another explanation.
  • Exemplar learning combined with stimulus generalization also contributes.

Stimulus Generalization

  • Relevant terms include stimulus generalization, generalization gradient, and generalization decrement.

Short-Term Memory - Habituation

  • Habituation involves a reduction in responsiveness to a stimulus due to repeated presentation.
  • Whitlow (1975) conducted plethysmograph studies on rabbits to show memory, with a tone presented for 60 seconds.
  • Wagner (1976) developed a theory regarding this.
  • In one example, Tone 1 was played, then after a 60 second delay, Tone 1 was played again.
  • In another example, Tone 1 was played, then after a 150 second delay, Tone 1 was played again.

Effector and Receptor Fatigue

  • Effector fatigue relates to the physiological system producing a response; Tone 1 is played, then after 60 seconds Tone 2 is played.
  • Receptor fatigue relates to the physiological system perceiving the stimulus; there is dishabituation. Tone 1 is played, then after 30 seconds, a distractor "D" and then after 30 seconds, Tone 1 is played again.
  • Retroactive interference can occur.

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