scholarly journals Individual-learning ability predicts social-foraging strategy in house sparrows

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1705) ◽  
pp. 582-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edith Katsnelson ◽  
Uzi Motro ◽  
Marcus W. Feldman ◽  
Arnon Lotem
Keyword(s):  
Personal Information ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Social Foraging ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
The Individual

Social foragers can use either a ‘producer’ strategy, which involves searching for food, or a ‘scrounger’ strategy, which involves joining others' food discoveries. While producers rely on personal information and past experience, we may ask whether the tendency to forage as a producer is related to being a better learner. To answer this question, we hand-raised house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) nestlings that upon independence were given an individual-learning task that required them to associate colour signal and food presence. Following the testing phase, all fledglings were released into a shared aviary, and their social-foraging tendencies were measured. We found a significant positive correlation between individual's performance in the individual-learning task and subsequent tendency to use searching (producing) behaviour. Individual-learning score was negatively correlated with initial fear of the test apparatus and with body weight. However, the correlation between individual learning and searching remained significant after controlling for these variables. Since it was measured before the birds entered a social group, individual-learning ability could not be the outcome of being a producer. However, the two traits may be initially associated, or individual learning could facilitate producing behaviour. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that associates individual-learning abilities with social-foraging strategies in animal groups.

A Predictive Validity Study of the Learning Ability Profile with Collegiate-Level Officer Cadets: Some Canadian Data

1987 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-439
Author(s):  
Bruno Fabi ◽  
Léandre Maillet
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Collegiate Level ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Linguistics

The purpose of this study was to test the predictive validity of the Learning Ability Profile (LAP) test, developed by Henning to obtain a quantitative measure of learning abilities. The results obtained on the LAP were correlated with grade point averages (GPA) of two academic sessions and with the results of the individual courses followed by the subjects during the same period. The sample consisted of 94 French speaking students at Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean in Canada. The LAP scores were only significantly correlated with the GPA of the first academic session (.20) as well as with the grades of a few specific courses followed during that session: Calculus (.22), Chemistry (.84), Economics (.35), and Linguistics (.33). Such results could indicate a better predictive validity of the LAP with respect to quantitative rather than verbal courses. Research considerations regarding increased predictive validity of the LAP were also presented.

NEW LEARNING STRATEGIES IN BUSTILLOS AND OLIVEIRA MODEL

2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1415-1427
Author(s):  
MINGFENG HE ◽  
XIAOWEN PAN ◽  
XIAOJIA MU ◽  
LIN FENG
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Learning Capacity ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Penna Model ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Dependent Learning

Armando Ticona Bustillos and Paulo Murilo C. de Oliveira first combined learning strategy with Penna model using a third bit string to represent knowledge. There are two forms of learning strategy in their model: individual learning through trial-and-error and social learning through copying knowledge from others. Based on the Bustillos-Oliveira model, we propose a new learning strategy:. (1) Individual learning ability depending on knowledge, through which the individual learning ability is not a constant but in direct proportion to the knowledge level of individual;. (2) Double-direction Social learning, under this, not only the young can learn from the elder, but also the elder can learn from the young;. (3) The age-dependent learning capacity, we make the learning capacity a variable in inverse proportion to the age, unlike which has been represented in Bustillos and Oliveira's model as a constant. Under this new learning strategy represented above, we get different result in the level of knowledge of individuals from B-O model.

scholarly journals Learning to Choose Among Social Foraging Strategies in Adult House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Ethology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. 1111-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Belmaker ◽  
Uzi Motro ◽  
Marcus W. Feldman ◽  
Arnon Lotem
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Social Foraging ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
House Sparrows

scholarly journals Testing the individual and social learning abilities of task-naïve captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes sp.) in a nut-cracking task

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Neadle ◽  
Elisa Bandini ◽  
Claudio Tennie
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Baseline Condition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
The Individual

Nut-cracking is often cited as one of the most complex behaviours observed in wild chimpanzees. However, the cognitive mechanisms behind its acquisition are still debated. The current null hypothesis is that the form of nut-cracking behaviour relies on variants of social learning, with some researchers arguing, more precisely, that copying variants of social learning mechanisms are necessary. However, to date, very few experiments have directly investigated the potentially sufficient role of individual learning in explaining the behavioural form of nut-cracking. Despite this, the available data provides some evidence for the spontaneous acquisition of nut-cracking by chimpanzees; later group acquisition was then found to be at least facilitated by (unspecified) variants of social learning. The latter findings are in line with both suggested hypotheses, i.e., that copying social learning is required and that other (non-copying) social learning mechanisms are at play. Here we present the first study which focused (initially) on the role of individual learning for the acquisition of the nut-cracking behavioural form in chimpanzees. We tested task-naïve chimpanzees (N = 13) with an extended baseline condition to examine whether the behaviour would emerge spontaneously. After the baseline condition (which was unsuccessful), we tested for the role of social learning by providing social information in a step-wise fashion, culminating in a full action demonstration of nut-cracking by a human demonstrator (this last condition made it possible for the observers to copy all actions underlying the behaviour). Despite the opportunities to individually and/or socially learn nut-cracking, none of the chimpanzees tested here cracked nuts using tools in any of the conditions in our study; thus, providing no conclusive evidence for either competing hypothesis. We conclude that this failure was the product of an interplay of factors, including behavioural conservatism and the existence of a potential sensitive learning period for nut-cracking in chimpanzees. The possibility remains that nut-cracking is a behaviour that chimpanzees can individually learn. However, this behaviour might only be acquired when chimpanzees are still inside their sensitive learning period, and when ecological and developmental conditions allow for it. The possibility remains that nut-cracking is an example of a culture dependent trait in non-human great apes. Recommendations for future research projects to address this question are considered.

scholarly journals Evidence of cognitive specialization in an insect: proficiency is maintained across elemental and higher-order visual learning but not between sensory modalities in honey bees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Finke ◽  
David Baracchi ◽  
Martin Giurfa ◽  
Ricarda Scheiner ◽  
Aurore Avarguès-Weber
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Over Time

Individuals differing in their cognitive abilities and foraging strategies may confer a valuable benefit to their social groups as variability may help responding flexibly in scenarios with different resource availability. Individual learning proficiency may either be absolute or vary with the complexity or the nature of the problem considered. Determining if learning abilities correlate between tasks of different complexity or between sensory modalities has a high interest for research on brain modularity and task-dependent specialisation of neural circuits. The honeybee Apis mellifera constitutes an attractive model to address this question due to its capacity to successfully learn a large range of tasks in various sensory domains. Here we studied whether the performance of individual bees in a simple visual discrimination task (a discrimination between two visual shapes) is stable over time and correlates with their capacity to solve either a higher-order visual task (a conceptual discrimination based on spatial relations between objects) or an elemental olfactory task (a discrimination between two odorants). We found that individual learning proficiency within a given task was maintained over time and that some individuals performed consistently better than others within the visual modality, thus showing consistent aptitude across visual tasks of different complexity. By contrast, performance in the elemental visual-learning task did not predict performance in the equivalent elemental olfactory task. Overall, our results suggest the existence of cognitive specialisation within the hive, which may contribute to ecological social success.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Framework for Adaptive E-Learning Management System

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 4846-4854
Keyword(s):  
Learning Style ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Learning Path ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
Learning Types

The various e-Learning systems in recent times found to be ineffective in directing the individual learning style with the preferred learning abilities. Focusing on this inadequacy, this paper proposes a comprehensive study from the different styles on the existing frameworks engaging an adaptive learning algorithm that applies a data stream technique using Machine Learning for a better learning path. The adaptation process insists or allow the user to modify the parameters and to adapt the behaviour according to the system assumption. When the system adapts to a personal concept and responds, it is said to be a personalized process. This concentrate and generates more ideas and style towards student-centric learning and creating a new learning path for an individual or group of learners. This generic framework is grounded on four-dimension. This framework tailors the learning style according to the individual learning types by creating a specific learning objective by incorporating learning modules, personalization and learner Noesis with technologies

scholarly journals How statistical learning interacts with the socioeconomic environment to shape children’s language development

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244954
Author(s):  
Leyla Eghbalzad ◽  
Joanne A. Deocampo ◽  
Christopher M. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Social Environmental

Language is acquired in part through statistical learning abilities that encode environmental regularities. Language development is also heavily influenced by social environmental factors such as socioeconomic status. However, it is unknown to what extent statistical learning interacts with SES to affect language outcomes. We measured event-related potentials in 26 children aged 8–12 while they performed a visual statistical learning task. Regression analyses indicated that children’s learning performance moderated the relationship between socioeconomic status and both syntactic and vocabulary language comprehension scores. For children demonstrating high learning, socioeconomic status had a weaker effect on language compared to children showing low learning. These results suggest that high statistical learning ability can provide a buffer against the disadvantages associated with being raised in a lower socioeconomic status household.

scholarly journals The Role of Outcome Unit Size in the Social Foraging Strategies of Rats

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Alfaro ◽  
Federico Sanabria ◽  
Rosalva Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Social Foraging ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Unit Size ◽  
Sunflower Seeds ◽  
The Social ◽  
Production Strategies ◽  
Highly Correlated

The distribution of foraging strategies and associated activities of Wistar rats was examined, with food outcomes presented in small vs. large units. Groups of 4 rats foraged for food in a 4 x 3 array of covered holes, some containing 4 g of food. For some groups, food consisted of shelled sunflower seeds (small units); for other groups, food consisted of 3 pellets of chow (large units). Foraging strategies were classified as either production (seeking patches with food) or scrounging (tracking conspecifics). Production strategies were more common among groups that foraged for pellets instead of seeds. Producing food was highly correlated with contacting gates covering holes, whereas scrounging for food was highly correlated with following others in the group. The prevalence of activities associated with each foraging strategy was highly correlated with the proportion of time spent consuming food obtained from each activity (i.e., produced vs. scrounged food). Taken together, these findings suggest that, similar to other species, the finder’s advantage (low with small units, high with large units) modulates social foraging strategies in rats. A simple outcome-strategy feedback mechanism appears to mediate this modulation.

Measuring Word Learning Ability in Sequential Bilingual Children

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pui Fong Kan
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
L1 And L2

Abstract The purpose of this article is to look at the word learning skills in sequential bilingual children—children who learn two languages (L1 and L2) at different times in their childhood. Learning a new word is a process of learning a word form and relating this form to a concept. For bilingual children, each concept might need to map onto two word forms (in L1 and in L2). In case studies, I present 3 typically developing Hmong-English bilingual preschoolers' word learning skills in Hmong (L1) and in English (L2) during an 8-week period (4 weeks for each language). The results showed gains in novel-word knowledge in L1 and in L2 when the amount of input is equal for both languages. The individual differences in novel word learning are discussed.

Using problem-based learning in a Chinese character class design: A case study of Korean learners of Chinese

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-138
Author(s):  
Eun Young Jang ◽  
Heung Soo Park ◽  
Yeon Sil Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Character Education ◽  
Chinese Character ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Learning Attitudes ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Korean Learners

This study attempted to try out Chinese-character education centering on experience and learners away from existing lecture-centered, teacher-centered education. For this purpose, problem-based learning (PBL) was proposed as one of the Chinese-language ability-enhancement measures for Korean learners of the Chinese language, and in order to examine the effect, we attempt to use the PBL tasks in the ‘Chinese-language reading’ class at a university for basic Chinese-language learners and analyze the results. PBL is a teaching-learning method in which learners focus on learning by using problems. In this study, we attempted to use PBL for the group work format. In this way, we can confirm that the class using the PBL has many advantages, such as improving learning ability and problem-solving ability, and strengthening cooperation. In addition, it was found that PBL is worthwhile to try because it is effective in inducing learning motivation, improving attention and interest in Chinese-character learning, improving learning attitudes of learners, and developing self-directed learning abilities.

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