Imitation by Animals

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Zentall
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Action Procedure

Imitation is of psychological interest in part because it has cognitive implications for how organisms view the behavior of others, relative to their own behavior. It implies the ability to take the perspective of another. For this reason, researchers have tried to distinguish imitation from other kinds of social learning and influence. In the two-action procedure, one of two response topographies is demonstrated, and the correlation between the topography demonstrated and the topography later used by the observer is a measure of imitation. Both pigeons and Japanese quail show response matching, despite the fact that from their perspective, their own behavior appears quite different from that demonstrated. Although imitation has been demonstrated in birds and several species of primates, researchers are still not certain what mechanisms underlie this ability.

Social learning mechanisms

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Zentall
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Local Enhancement ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Stimulus Enhancement ◽  
Object Movement ◽  
Complex Forms ◽  
Action Procedure

Social influence and social learning are important to the survival of many organisms, and certain forms of social learning also may have important implications for their underlying cognitive processes. The various forms of social influence and learning are discussed with special emphasis on the mechanisms that may be responsible for opaque imitation (the copying of a response that the observer cannot easily see when it produces the response). Three procedures are examined, the results of which may qualify as opaque imitation: the bidirectional control procedure, the two- action procedure, and the do-as-I-do procedure. Variables that appear to affect the emergence of opaque imitation are identified and other complex forms of response copying are discussed. Keywords: bidirectional control procedure; contagion; emulation; imitation; local enhancement; object movement reenactment; observational conditioning; opaque imitation; social enhancement; social facilitation; social influence; social learning; stimulus enhancement; two action procedure

A cognitive approach to cumulative technological culture is useful and necessary but only if it also applies to other species

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibaud Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Technological Culture ◽  
Social Learning Processes

Abstract The debate on cumulative technological culture (CTC) is dominated by social-learning discussions, at the expense of other cognitive processes, leading to flawed circular arguments. I welcome the authors' approach to decouple CTC from social-learning processes without minimizing their impact. Yet, this model will only be informative to understand the evolution of CTC if tested in other cultural species.

The Quantitative Ultrastructure of the Heart Muscle of Japanese Quail by Hypergravitation, Hypodynamy and Combination

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-189
Author(s):  
Anton Bózner ◽  
Mikuláš Gažo ◽  
Jozef Dostál
Keyword(s):  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Heart Muscle ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Combination Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Group V ◽  
Group Iii ◽  
Space Flights ◽  
Group I ◽  
Quantitative Ultrastructure

It is anticipated that Japanese quail /Coturnix coturnix japonica/ will provide animal proteins in long term space flights. Consequently this species of birds is of research interest of international space program INTERCOSMOS. In the year 1987 we reported on an experiment /2/ in which the effect of chronic acceleration of 2 G hypergravitation, the hypodynamy and the simultaneous effect of chronic acceleration and the location in the centre of the turntable of the centrifuge on the protein fractions in skeletal muscles was studied. The ultrastructure of the heart muscle was now in this experiments examined as well.Japanese quail cockerels, aged 48 days were exposed to 2 G hypergravitation /group IV/ in a 6,4 m diameter centrifuge, to hypodynamy /group III/ and their combination /group V/, respectively for 6 days / Fig.1/. The hypodynamy in group III was achieved by suspending the birds in jackets without contact the floor. The group II was located in the centre ofthe turntable of the centrifuge. The control group I. was kept under normal conditions. The quantitative ultrastructure of myocard was evaluated by the methods of Weibel/3/ - this enables to determine the number, relative size and volume of mitochondria volume of single mitochondria, defficiency of mitochondrial cristae and volume of myofibrils.

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