Challenges Facing Contemporary Associative Approaches to Acquired Behavior

by Ralph R. Miller,
State University of New York at Binghamton

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Abstract

Despite the considerable success of contemporary associative models of learning in stimulating new behavioral research and modest success in providing direction to both neuroscience and psychotherapy, these models are confronted with at least three challenges. The first challenge is to the assumption that animals encode only one or a few summary statistics to capture what has been experienced over many training trials. This assumption is contrary to overwhelming evidence that the brain retains episodic information. The second challenge is that the learning-performance distinction has been largely ignored. Most models erroneously assume that behavior is a nearly perfect reflection of what has been encoded. The third challenge is to account for interactions between stimuli that have been presented separately (e.g., stimulus interference) as well as between stimuli that have been presented together (e.g., stimulus competition).

Miller, R. R. (2006). Challenges Facing Contemporary Associative Approaches to Acquired Behavior. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 1, 77-93. Retrieved from http://comparative-cognition-and-behavior-reviews.org/ doi:10.3819/ccbr.2008.10005

Time, Place, and Content

by Jonathon D. Crystal,
University of Georgia

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Abstract

The goal of this article is to integrate information about basic mechanisms of time perception with research on time-place learning and research on the discrimination of what, when, and where (WWW). Several lines of evidence suggest that the psychological representation of time is nonlinearly related to physical estimates of time. These data prompt consideration of the proposal that interval timing is mediated by multiple, short-period oscillators. A multiple oscillator representation of time may be used to code the time of occurrence of events. These time-stamps for events, together with information about where the events occurred, may represent a promising direction for development of a quantitative, mechanistic theory of episodic-like memory in animals.

Crystal, J. D. (2006). Time, Place, and Content. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 1, 53-76. Retrieved from http://comparative-cognition-and-behavior-reviews.org/ doi:10.3819/ccbr.2008.10004

An Ontology for Comparative Cognition: A Functional Approach

by Stan Franklin,
Department of Computer Science and The Institute For Intelligent Systems, The University of Memphis

Michael Ferkin,
Department of Biology, The University of Memphis

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Abstract

The authors introduce an ontology for the study of how animals think, as well as a comprehensive model of human and animal cognition utilizing the ontology. The IDA (Intelligent Distribution Agent) model of cognition, a computational and conceptual model derived from a working software agent, is described within the framework of the ontology. The model is built on functional needs of animals, relating it to the existing literature. The article provides testable hypotheses and a sample a model of decision-making processes in voles. The article closes with a brief comparison of the IDA model to other computational models of cognition, and a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the ontology and the model.

Keywords: KEYWORDS

Franklin, S. & Ferkin, M. (2006). An Ontology for Comparative Cognition: A Functional Approach. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 1, 36-52. Retrieved from http://comparative-cognition-and-behavior-reviews.org/ doi:10.3819/ccbr.2008.10003

Comparative Cognition of Object Recognition

by Marcia L. Spetch,
University of Alberta

Alinda Friedman,
University of Alberta

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Abstract

Object recognition is fundamental in the lives of most animals. The authors review research comparing object recognition in pigeons and humans. One series of studies investigated recognition of previously learned objects seen in novel depth rotations, including the influence of a single distinctive object part and whether the novel view was close to two or only one of the training views. Another series of studies investigated whether recognition of directly viewed objects differs from recognition of objects viewed in pictures. The final series of studies investigated the role of motion in object recognition. The authors review similarities and differences in object recognition between humans and pigeons. They also discuss future directions for comparative investigations of object recognition.

Spetch, M. L., & Friedman, A. (2006). Comparative cognition of object recognition. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 1, 12-35. Retrieved from http://comparative-cognition-and-behavior-reviews.org/ doi: 10.3819/ccbr.2008.10002

The Prospective Cognition of Food Caching and Recovery by Western Scrub-Jays (Alphelocoma californica)

by Nicola S. Clayton,
University of Cambridge

Nathan J. Emery,
University of Cambridge

Anthony Dickinson,
University of Cambridge

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Abstract

The role of prospective cognition in food caching and recovery by western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) is reviewed. These birds anticipate the short-term consequences of searching for cached food at recovery by reducing their searches for devalued food items. Two further lines of evidence suggest that the jays are also capable of more long-term prospection. First, the caching of food items decreases when they are consistently degraded or pilfered at recovery over cache-recovery intervals that preclude direct delayed reinforcement and punishment. Second, the jays anticipate the pilfering of their caches by another bird, which observes the caching episode, by engaging in various cache-protection behaviors. These finding suggest that the jays are capable of a form of prospective mental “time travel”.

Clayton, N. S., Emery, N. J., & Dickinson, A. (2006). The prospective cognition of food caching and recovery by Western Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica). Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 1, 1-11. Retrieved from http://comparative-cognition-and-behavior-reviews.org/ doi:10.3819/ccbr.2008.10001