Motivational change during resource assessment by hermit crabs
Motivational change during resource assessment by hermit crabs
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/0022-0981(95)00109-3
复制
发表时间：
1995-11-29
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Elwood, RW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Elwood, RW
寄居蟹提供了独特的机会，在研究资源评估所涉及的潜在动机机制。特别是在评估外壳时，收集的信息必须影响动机状态，动机变化的过程可以通过两种主要方式的实验来阐明。首先，通过用水泥堵塞壳体孔或通过将壳体孔向下粘到基底上来停止评估顺序。这使得螃蟹坚持评估待测量的壳的持续时间。第二，通过在评估中的某个时刻呈现一种新颖的、可能令人吃惊的刺激，并测量惊吓反应的持续时间。使用第一种方法，持续时间应该与获得新外壳的动机呈正相关，而使用第二种方法，惊吓反应的持续时间应该与该动机状态呈负相关。由于蟹的运动状态必须反映蟹在任何时刻所具有的信息，因此这两种方法提供了独立的探索信息获取的途径。事实上，壳评估是很容易观察和量化的实验室，资源（壳）可以通过多种方式进行实验修改，使这些螃蟹的理想对象，开发一个通用的模型资源评估。
Hermit crabs offer unique opportunities in studying the underlying motivational mechanisms involved in resource assessment. In particular, when assessing shells, the information gathered must influence the motivational state and the processes of motivational change may be elucidated by experimentation in two main ways. First, by stopping the sequence of assessment, either by blocking the shell aperture with cement or by sticking the shell, aperture down, to the substrate. This enables the duration for which the crab persists in assessing the shell to be measured. Second, by presenting a novel, potentially startling, stimulus at some point in the assessment and measuring the duration of the startle response. With the first method persistence time should show a positive correlation with motivation to acquire the new shell, whereas, with the second method, the duration of the startle response should be negatively correlated with that motivational state. Because the motvational state must reflect the information the crab has at any moment, these two methods provide independent ways of probing the acquisition of information. The fact that shell assessment is easily observed and quantified in the laboratory and that the resource (shell) may be experimentally modified in numerous ways, makes these crabs the ideal subjects with which to develop a general model of resource assessment.