| Literature DB >> 2225762 |
G Vallortigara1, M Zanforlin, G Pasti.
Abstract
Recent work has shown that in place-finding tasks rats rely on the geometric relations between the goal object and the shape of the environment. We tested young chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) on similar tasks in a reference memory paradigm to determine whether differences exist between species in the ability to use geometric and nongeometric spatial information. The main findings were that chicks: (a) encoded and used both geometric and nongeometric (featural) information; (b) did not use the overall spatial arrangement of the features; (c) relied primarily on nongeometric cues when faced with contradictory information. Two mechanisms are evident in chicks' spatial representations: a metric frame for encoding the spatial arrangement of surfaces as surfaces and a cue-guidance system for encoding conspicuous landmarks near the target. The possibility of hierarchical organization and species differences in these two mechanisms are discussed.Entities:
Mesh:
Year: 1990 PMID: 2225762 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.104.3.248
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Comp Psychol ISSN: 0021-9940 Impact factor: 2.231