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Diffusion of novel foraging behaviour in Amazon parrots through social learning

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Seed_2016_AC_Diffusion_AAM.pdf (556.5Kb)
Date
03/2017
Author
Picard, Alejandra Morales
Hogan, Lauren
Lambert, Megan L.
Wilkinson, Anna
Seed, Amanda Madeleine
Slocombe, Katie
Keywords
Social learning
Open diffusion
Two-action test
Amazona amazonica
BF Psychology
QL Zoology
NDAS
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Abstract
While social learning has been demonstrated in species across many taxa, the role it plays in everyday foraging decisions is not well understood. Investigating social learning during foraging could shed light on the emergence of cultural variation in different groups. We used an open diffusion experiment to examine the spread of a novel foraging technique in captive Amazon parrots. Three groups were tested using a two-action foraging box, including experimental groups exposed to demonstrators using different techniques and control birds. We also examined the influence of agonistic and pilfering behaviour on task acquisition. We found evidence of social learning: more experimental birds than control birds interacted with and opened the box. The birds were, however, no more likely to use the demonstrated technique than the non-demonstrated one, making local or stimulus enhancement the most likely mechanism. Exhibiting aggression was positively correlated with box opening, whilst receiving aggression did not reduce motivation to engage with the box, indicating that willingness to defend access to the box was important in task acquisition. Pilfering food and success in opening the box were also positively correlated; however, having food pilfered did not affect victims’ motivation to interact with the box. In a group context, pilfering may promote learning of new foraging opportunities. Although previous studies have demonstrated that psittacines are capable of imitation, in this naturalistic set-up there was no evidence that parrots copied the demonstrated opening technique. Foraging behaviour in wild populations of Amazons could therefore be facilitated by low-fidelity social learning mechanisms.
Citation
Picard , A M , Hogan , L , Lambert , M L , Wilkinson , A , Seed , A M & Slocombe , K 2017 , ' Diffusion of novel foraging behaviour in Amazon parrots through social learning ' , Animal Cognition , vol. 20 , no. 2 , pp. 285-298 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1049-3
Publication
Animal Cognition
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1049-3
ISSN
1435-9448
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1049-3
Description
This research was supported by The British Psychological Society Summer Bursary, awarded to Lauren Hogan.
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11931

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