Author Archives: K of Kyrene

Archerfish respond to a hunting robot conspecific- Brown et al. 2021 Abstract: While the unique hunting behavior of archerfish has received considerable scientific attention, the specific social cues that govern behaviors like intraspecific kleptoparasitism in the species are less understood. This paper asks whether the use of a robotic facsimile representing an archerfish can elicitContinue reading “Robots Infiltrate ArcherFish”

Behavioural plasticity across social contexts is regulated by the directionality of inter-individual differences – Guayasamin et al. 2016 Abstract: Behavioural heterogeneity of a group can alter its responsiveness, decision-making and fitness. This study observed whether pairing fish of varying personalities altered individual behavioural responses. Results were that the relative personality of the fish had anContinue reading “Fish and Peer Pressure”

Ontogeny and personality affect inhibitory control in guppies, Poecilia reticulata – Savasci et al. 2021 Introduction: The ability to control behaviour and adapting it to current situations is a well researched area. This paper specifically looks at inhibitory control which is present across vertebrates. An example of this behaviour is placing a transparent barrier inContinue reading “Developmental cognition in fish”

How well do we understand the neural origins of the fMRI BOLD signal? – Arthurs & Boniface, 2002 Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a very popular non-invasive tool used to image functionally active brain regions. They use the BOLD method which means blood oxygenation level-dependent and it relies on hemoglobin as the endogenous contrastContinue reading “Gotta Let The Brain Breathe”

Motor timing learned without motor training – Meegan et al. 2000 Brief Communications Paper Normally when perceptual training is involved in learning, there is no generalization to similar tasks. Which means that the training is only beneficial when implemented with that specific task. However this study has found evidence that training in one form ofContinue reading “Perfection without Practice”

Initial evidence for eliciting contrafreeloading in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) via the opportunity for playful foraging – Smith et al., 2021 Abstract: Contrafreeloading is the choice to work for food rather than it be freely available. This study examines this aspect in parrots (n=4-5) and found that during the first experiment the subjects preferred contrafreeloading.Continue reading “The Degrees of Contrafreeloading (Parrots)”

Collective rule-breaking – Krause et al. 2021 Abstract: This paper looks at how cognitive mechanisms involved with rule breaking at an individual level can be scaled upwards to understand how rule breaking then appears in social groups. Social Contagion (The spread of ideas, attitudes, or behaviour patterns in a group through imitation and conformity.) playsContinue reading “Mob-Mentality”