scholarly journals No, you go first: phenotype and social context affect house sparrow neophobia

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 20200286
Author(s):  
T. R. Kelly ◽  
M. G. Kimball ◽  
K. R. Stansberry ◽  
C. R. Lattin
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Experimental Procedure ◽  
Object Control ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Objects

Novel object trials are commonly used to assess aversion to novelty (neophobia), and previous work has shown neophobia can be influenced by the social environment, but whether the altered behaviour persists afterwards (social learning) is largely unknown in wild animals. We assessed house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) novel object responses before, during and after being paired with a conspecific of either similar or different behavioural phenotype. During paired trials, animals housed with a similar or more neophobic partner demonstrated an increased aversion to novel objects. This change did not persist a week after unpairing, but neophobia decreased after unpairing in birds previously housed with a less neophobic partner. We also compared novel object responses to non-object control trials to validate our experimental procedure. Our results provide evidence of social learning in a highly successful invasive species, and an interesting asymmetry in the effects of social environment on neophobia behaviour depending on the animal's initial behavioural phenotype.

scholarly journals Individual behavioural traits not social context affects learning about novel objects in archerfish

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick A. R. Jones ◽  
Helen C. Spence-Jones ◽  
Mike Webster ◽  
Luke Rendell
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Social Species ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Animals ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Learning can enable rapid behavioural responses to changing conditions but can depend on the social context and behavioural phenotype of the individual. Learning rates have been linked to consistent individual differences in behavioural traits, especially in situations which require engaging with novelty, but the social environment can also play an important role. The presence of others can modulate the effects of individual behavioural traits and afford access to social information that can reduce the need for ‘risky’ asocial learning. Most studies of social effects on learning are focused on more social species; however, such factors can be important even for less-social animals, including non-grouping or facultatively social species which may still derive benefit from social conditions. Using archerfish, Toxotes chatareus, which exhibit high levels of intra-specific competition and do not show a strong preference for grouping, we explored the effect of social contexts on learning. Individually housed fish were assayed in an ‘open-field’ test and then trained to criterion in a task where fish learnt to shoot a novel cue for a food reward—with a conspecific neighbour visible either during training, outside of training or never (full, partial or no visible presence). Time to learn to shoot the novel cue differed across individuals but not across social context. This suggests that social context does not have a strong effect on learning in this non-obligatory social species; instead, it further highlights the importance that inter-individual variation in behavioural traits can have on learning. Significance statement Some individuals learn faster than others. Many factors can affect an animal’s learning rate—for example, its behavioural phenotype may make it more or less likely to engage with novel objects. The social environment can play a big role too—affecting learning directly and modifying the effects of an individual’s traits. Effects of social context on learning mostly come from highly social species, but recent research has focused on less-social animals. Archerfish display high intra-specific competition, and our study suggests that social context has no strong effect on their learning to shoot novel objects for rewards. Our results may have some relevance for social enrichment and welfare of this increasingly studied species, suggesting there are no negative effects of short- to medium-term isolation of this species—at least with regards to behavioural performance and learning tasks.

scholarly journals Personality composition determines social learning pathways within shoaling fish

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1936) ◽  
pp. 20201871
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hasenjager ◽  
William Hoppitt ◽  
Lee A. Dugatkin
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Diffusion Analysis ◽  
Learning Pathways ◽  
Facilitated Learning ◽  
Recovery Latency

In shaping how individuals explore their environment and interact with others, personality may mediate both individual and social learning. Yet increasing evidence indicates that personality expression is contingent on social context, suggesting that group personality composition may be key in determining how individuals learn about their environment. Here, we used recovery latency following simulated predator attacks to identify Trinidadian guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) that acted in a consistently bold or shy manner. We then employed network-based diffusion analysis to track the spread of a novel foraging behaviour through groups containing different proportions of bold and shy fish. Informed associates promoted learning to a greater extent in bold individuals, but only within groups composed predominately of bold fish. As the proportion of shy fish within groups increased, bold individuals instead emerged as especially effective demonstrators that facilitated learning in others. Individuals were also more likely to learn overall within shy-dominated groups than in bold-dominated ones. We demonstrate that whether and how individuals learn is conditional on group personality composition, indicating that selection may favour traits enabling individuals to better match their behavioural phenotype to their social environment.

scholarly journals The scope and limits of overimitation in the transmission of artefact culture

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1567) ◽  
pp. 1158-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek E. Lyons ◽  
Diana H. Damrosch ◽  
Jennifer K. Lin ◽  
Deanna M. Macris ◽  
Frank C. Keil
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Causal Understanding ◽  
Learning Function ◽  
Intentional Actions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Learning Processes ◽  
Unfamiliar Object

Children are generally masterful imitators, both rational and flexible in their reproduction of others' actions. After observing an adult operating an unfamiliar object, however, young children will frequently overimitate , reproducing not only the actions that were causally necessary but also those that were clearly superfluous. Why does overimitation occur? We argue that when children observe an adult intentionally acting on a novel object, they may automatically encode all of the adult's actions as causally meaningful. This process of automatic causal encoding (ACE) would generally guide children to accurate beliefs about even highly opaque objects. In situations where some of an adult's intentional actions were unnecessary, however, it would also lead to persistent overimitation. Here, we undertake a thorough examination of the ACE hypothesis, reviewing prior evidence and offering three new experiments to further test the theory. We show that children will persist in overimitating even when doing so is costly (underscoring the involuntary nature of the effect), but also that the effect is constrained by intentionality in a manner consistent with its posited learning function. Overimitation may illuminate not only the structure of children's causal understanding, but also the social learning processes that support our species' artefact-centric culture.

Experimental analysis of novelty responses in a bird assemblage inhabiting a suburban marsh

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 974-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.I. Echeverría ◽  
Aldo Iván Vassallo ◽  
J.P. Isacch
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Molothrus Bonariensis ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Bird Assemblage

Suburban areas in the Pampas region of Argentina are inhabited by several bird species that sharply differ in their ability to exploit human-modified, urban areas. This bird assemblage includes species restricted to natural grasslands (e.g., Great Pampa Finch, Embernagra platensis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)) as well as generalist, highly cosmopolitan species such as House Sparrow, Passer domesticus (L., 1758). We explored the role of certain aversive responses to novelty in shaping the marked differences in ecological plasticity among species in the assemblage. In field experiments, we tested for differences in feeding in the presence of artificial objects near feeders regularly replenished with seeds. In spite of their granivorous diet, some non-urbanized species did not use the feeders, possibly because of an extreme degree of aversion to novel situations. The group of birds that visited the feeders included both urbanized (N = 8) and non-urbanized (N = 2) species. We found that the presence of novel objects discouraged visitation to an otherwise attractive food source, although neophobia was weak for most species. However, we found unexpectedly high levels of neophobia in highly generalist, urbanized species such as House Sparrow and Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789). This response is discussed in the context of the influence of post-fledging development in a relatively simple and predictable ecosystem versus that in urban areas.

scholarly journals Facebook: A School Librarian’s Tool for Building a Community of Readers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulette Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Social Learning Theory ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Development Theory ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
The Social ◽  
Literature Circle

In this paper Facebook is examined as an educational tool that can be used to facilitate the development of literacy skills. The philosophical assumptions underlying the Social Development Theory by Vygotsky and the Social Learning Theory by Bandura were used to substantiate the benefits students can gain from learning in a social environment such as Facebook. Librarians can help students to develop their literacy skills, by using the Literature Circle on facebook. Assigning readers roles such as literary luminary, synthesizer, analyzer, and evaluator and rotating these roles will allow readers to develop the various literacy skills overtime and to avoid monotony.

Social environment affects female and egg testosterone levels in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 1084-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
J��r��my Mazuc ◽  
Camille Bonneaud ◽  
Olivier Chastel ◽  
Gabriele Sorci
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Testosterone Levels

scholarly journals Preschoolers’ Trust in Social Consensus Varies by Context: Conventional vs. Moral Domains

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Guerrero ◽  
Laura Elenbaas ◽  
Ileana Enesco ◽  
Melanie Killen
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Majority Group ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Meaningful Context ◽  
Socially Relevant

<p><span style="font-family: 'Garamond',serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ES; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: 'Garamond',serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: ES; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-GB">Do young children give priority to following personal beliefs over the testimony of a majority group of adults that approves of social exclusion? Following current research on children’s preference for non-dissenters when learning the names for novel objects, this study investigated children’s preference for consensus opinion in two contexts: Interracial social exclusion among peers and novel object labeling. The goal was to examine the generalizability of preference for the opinion of non-dissenters in a socially relevant context. This study was conducted with 90 preschool children from the Spanish ethnic majority group. The findings revealed that participants sided with the consensus significantly less often in the social exclusion context than in the novel object labeling context. Moreover, young children did not defer to the opinion of a numerical consensus in the socially meaningful context when a group condoned the exclusion of a peer from a group activity, even when the peer was from an outgroup social category. Instead, participants agreed with a dissenter who claimed that it was not okay to exclude someone, despite the opposite opinion of a numerical majority. These results provide new information regarding children’s social knowledge development.</span></span></p>

scholarly journals Social groups with diverse personalities mitigate physiological stress in a songbird

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csongor I. Vagasi ◽  
Attila Fulop ◽  
Gergely Osvath ◽  
Peter L. Pap ◽  
Janka Penzes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioural Types ◽  
Group Members

Social groups often consist of diverse phenotypes, including personality types, and this diversity is known to affect the functioning of the group as a whole. Social selection theory proposes that group composition (i.e. social environment) also influences the performance of individual group members. However, the effect of group behavioural composition on group members remains largely unexplored, and it is still contentious whether individuals benefit more in a social environment with homogeneous or diverse behavioural composition. We experimentally formed groups of house sparrows Passer domesticus with high and low diversity of personality (exploratory behaviour), and found that their physiological state (body condition, physiological stress and oxidative damage) improved with increasing group-level diversity of personality. These findings demonstrate that group personality composition affects the condition of group members and individuals benefit from social heterosis (i.e. associating with a diverse set of behavioural types). This aspect of the social life can play a key role in affiliation rules of social animals and might explain the evolutionary coexistence of different personalities in nature.

scholarly journals Social groups with diverse personalities mitigate physiological stress in a songbird

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1943) ◽  
pp. 20203092
Author(s):  
Csongor I. Vágási ◽  
Attila Fülöp ◽  
Gergely Osváth ◽  
Péter L. Pap ◽  
Janka Pénzes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioural Types ◽  
Group Members

Social groups often consist of diverse phenotypes, including personality types, and this diversity is known to affect the functioning of the group as a whole. Social selection theory proposes that group composition (i.e. social environment) also influences the performance of individual group members. However, the effect of group behavioural composition on group members remains largely unexplored, and it is still contentious whether individuals benefit more in a social environment with homogeneous or diverse behavioural composition. We experimentally formed groups of house sparrows Passer domesticus with high and low diversity of personality (exploratory behaviour), and found that their physiological state (body condition, physiological stress and oxidative damage) improved with increasing group-level diversity of personality. These findings demonstrate that group personality composition affects the condition of group members and individuals benefit from social heterosis (i.e. associating with a diverse set of behavioural types). This aspect of the social life can play a key role in affiliation rules of social animals and might explain the evolutionary coexistence of different personalities in nature.

The Effects of Social Learning On the Food Choice of the House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus)

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 128 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 281-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Greig-Smith ◽  
Steven L. Fryday
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus
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