Equivalence classification, learning by exclusion, and long-term memory in pinnipeds: cognitive mechanisms demonstrated through research with subjects under human care and in the field.

Comparative cognition, as an interdisciplinary field, should utilize a holistic approach for studying cognitive mechanisms. We suggest that research with species of interest should employ both work with animals under human care and in the field. This complimentary approach allows for a better understanding of functional cognitive mechanisms themselves (i.

Computer-animated stimuli to measure motion sensitivity: constraints on signal design in the Jacky dragon.

Identifying perceptual thresholds is critical for understanding the mechanisms that underlie signal evolution. Using computer-animated stimuli, we examined visual speed sensitivity in the Jacky dragon , a species that makes extensive use of rapid motor patterns in social communication. First, focal lizards were tested in discrimination trials using random-dot kinematograms displaying combinations of speed, coherence, and direction.

Technical and conceptual considerations for using animated stimuli in studies of animal behavior.

Rapid technical advances in the field of computer animation (CA) and virtual reality (VR) have opened new avenues in animal behavior research. Animated stimuli are powerful tools as they offer standardization, repeatability, and complete control over the stimulus presented, thereby "reducing" and "replacing" the animals used, and "refining" the experimental design in line with the 3Rs. However, appropriate use of these technologies raises conceptual and technical questions.

Discrimination of flicker frequency rates in the reptile tuatara (Sphenodon ).

By investigating the mechanisms that underlie the perception of environmental cues, we may begin to understand how the sensory system governs behavioral responses. This is the first empirical study to examine learning and visual sensitivity in a reptile species, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus). We established a non-intrusive psychophysical method by employing an instrumental paradigm in order to examine discrimination learning and the ability to distinguish different flicker frequencies in the tuatara.

Computer-generated animal model stimuli.

Communication between animals is diverse and complex. Animals may communicate using auditory, seismic, chemosensory, electrical, or visual signals. In particular, understanding the constraints on visual signal design for communication has been of great interest.

Testing visual sensitivity to the speed and direction of motion in lizards.

Testing visual sensitivity in any species provides basic information regarding behaviour, evolution, and ecology. However, testing specific features of the visual system provide more empirical evidence for functional applications. Investigation into the sensory system provides information about the sensory capacity, learning and memory ability, and establishes known baseline behaviour in which to gauge deviations (Burghardt, 1977).

Considerations in video playback design: using optic flow analysis to examine motion characteristics of live and computer-generated animation sequences.

The increasing use of the video playback technique in behavioural ecology reveals a growing need to ensure better control of the visual stimuli that focal animals experience. Technological advances now allow researchers to develop computer-generated animations instead of using video sequences of live-acting demonstrators. However, care must be taken to match the motion characteristics (speed and velocity) of the animation to the original video source.