Statistical Learning in Domestic Chicks is Modulated by Strain and Sex

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2020 Sep 16

PMID 32934260

Citations 6

Authors

Chiara Santolin

Orsola Rosa-Salva

Bastien S Lemaire

Lucia Regolin

Giorgio Vallortigara

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Statistical learning is a key mechanism for detecting regularities from a variety of sensory inputs. Precocial newborn domestic chicks provide an excellent model for (1) exploring unsupervised forms of statistical learning in a comparative perspective, and (2) elucidating the ecological function of statistical learning using imprinting procedures. Here we investigated the role of the sex of the chicks in modulating the direction of preference (for familiarity or novelty) in a visual statistical learning task already employed with chicks and human infants. Using both automated tracking and direct human coding, we confirmed chicks' capacity to recognize the presence of a statistically defined structure underlying a continuous stream of shapes. Using a different chicken strain than previous studies, we were also able to highlight sex differences in chicks' propensity to approach the familiar or novel sequence. This could also explain a previous failure to reveal statistical learning in chicks which sex was however not determined. Our study confirms chicks' ability to track visual statistics. The pivotal role of sex in determining familiarity or novelty preferences in this species and the interaction with the animals' strain highlight the importance to contextualize comparative research within the ecology of each species.

Citing Articles

Sensitivity to the role of an animated agent from observed interactions in newborn chicks ().

De Roni P, Geraci A, Simion F, Regolin L R Soc Open Sci. 2023; 10(10):210020.

PMID: 37885990 PMC: 10598414. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210020.

Naïve chicks do not prefer objects with stable body orientation, though they may prefer behavioural variability.

Rosa-Salva O, Hernik M, Fabbroni M, Lorenzi E, Vallortigara G Anim Cogn. 2023; 26(4):1177-1189.

PMID: 36933076 PMC: 10344840. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01764-3.

Here I am, why don't you answer me? Sensitivity to social responsiveness in domestic chicks.

Loconsole M, Regolin L iScience. 2023; 26(1):105863.

PMID: 36632061 PMC: 9826874. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105863.

Evolution and function of neurocognitive systems in non-human animals.

Frasnelli E Sci Rep. 2021; 11(1):23487.

PMID: 34880266 PMC: 8654867. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02736-8.

Visual Field Analysis: A reliable method to score left and right eye use using automated tracking.

Josserand M, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Lemaire B Behav Res Methods. 2021; 54(4):1715-1724.

PMID: 34625917 PMC: 9374601. DOI: 10.3758/s13428-021-01702-6.

References

Grainger J, Dufau S, Montant M, Ziegler J, Fagot J . Orthographic processing in baboons (Papio papio). Science. 2012; 336(6078):245-8. DOI: 10.1126/science.1218152. View

Kirkham N, Slemmer J, Johnson S . Visual statistical learning in infancy: evidence for a domain general learning mechanism. Cognition. 2002; 83(2):B35-42. DOI: 10.1016/s0010-0277(02)00004-5. View

Wood S, Johnson S, Wood J . Automated Study Challenges the Existence of a Foundational Statistical-Learning Ability in Newborn Chicks. Psychol Sci. 2019; 30(11):1592-1602. PMC: 6843746. DOI: 10.1177/0956797619868998. View

Pitz G, Ross R . Imprinting as a function of arousal. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1961; 54:602-4. DOI: 10.1037/h0043016. View

Santolin C, Saffran J . Constraints on Statistical Learning Across Species. Trends Cogn Sci. 2017; 22(1):52-63. PMC: 5777226. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.10.003. View

Bulf H, Johnson S, Valenza E . Visual statistical learning in the newborn infant. Cognition. 2011; 121(1):127-32. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.06.010. View

Vallortigara G . Affiliation and aggression as related to gender in domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). J Comp Psychol. 1992; 106(1):53-7. DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.106.1.53. View

Fiser J, Aslin R . Statistical learning of new visual feature combinations by infants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002; 99(24):15822-6. PMC: 137800. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.232472899. View

Santolin C, Rosa-Salva O, Regolin L, Vallortigara G . Generalization of visual regularities in newly hatched chicks (Gallus gallus). Anim Cogn. 2016; 19(5):1007-17. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-1005-2. View

10.

Wu R, Gopnik A, Richardson D, Kirkham N . Infants learn about objects from statistics and people. Dev Psychol. 2011; 47(5):1220-9. DOI: 10.1037/a0024023. View

11.

BATESON P . The characteristics and context of imprinting. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 1966; 41(2):177-211. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.1966.tb01489.x. View

12.

Rosa-Salva O, Fiser J, Versace E, Dolci C, Chehaimi S, Santolin C . Spontaneous Learning of Visual Structures in Domestic Chicks. Animals (Basel). 2018; 8(8). PMC: 6115858. DOI: 10.3390/ani8080135. View

13.

Vallortigara G . Core knowledge of object, number, and geometry: a comparative and neural approach. Cogn Neuropsychol. 2012; 29(1-2):213-36. DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2012.654772. View

14.

Mascalzoni E, Regolin L, Vallortigara G . Mom's shadow: structure-from-motion in newly hatched chicks as revealed by an imprinting procedure. Anim Cogn. 2008; 12(2):389-400. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-008-0198-4. View

15.

Marcovitch S, Lewkowicz D . Sequence learning in infancy: the independent contributions of conditional probability and pair frequency information. Dev Sci. 2009; 12(6):1020-5. PMC: 2769011. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00838.x. View

16.

Rey A, Perruchet P, Fagot J . Centre-embedded structures are a by-product of associative learning and working memory constraints: evidence from baboons (Papio Papio). Cognition. 2012; 123(1):180-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.12.005. View

17.

Versace E, Rogge J, Shelton-May N, Ravignani A . Positional encoding in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus). Anim Cogn. 2019; 22(5):825-838. PMC: 6687687. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01277-y. View

18.

Scarf D, Boy K, Uber Reinert A, Devine J, Gunturkun O, Colombo M . Orthographic processing in pigeons (Columba livia). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016; 113(40):11272-11276. PMC: 5056114. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607870113. View

19.

Versace E, Martinho-Truswell A, Kacelnik A, Vallortigara G . Priors in Animal and Artificial Intelligence: Where Does Learning Begin?. Trends Cogn Sci. 2018; 22(11):963-965. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.07.005. View

20.

Miura M, Matsushima T . Preference for biological motion in domestic chicks: sex-dependent effect of early visual experience. Anim Cogn. 2012; 15(5):871-9. DOI: 10.1007/s10071-012-0514-x. View