Exploring cognition with multiple rewards: A new dimension into the cognitive ecology of pollination

探索多重奖励的认知：授粉认知生态学的新维度

• 批准号: 2028613
• 负责人: Felicity Muth
• 金额: $ 64.7万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2028613&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Exploring; cognition; multiple; rewards; new

Animals use multiple pieces of information from their environments to make decisions such as where to search for food, or which option is the best choice. How animals learn about available options has traditionally been studied in relation to a single reward (such as a particular food item). However, animals including humans often have to make decisions that vary in multiple types of reward. The research from this grant will determine how animals make these more complex types of decisions. To do this, bumblebees will be used: these bees visit a wide variety of flower types and in doing so learn to visit the most highly rewarding ones. The majority of research has focused on how bees learn and make decisions based on a single reward from flowers (nectar), despite the fact that bees collect multiple types of reward (the most common being nectar and pollen). This research will increase our knowledge of bumblebee foraging, which is particularly timely given recent bee declines. It will also more broadly inform our understanding of how animals, including humans, make complex decisions. The grant will support a postdoctoral researcher, a graduate student and undergraduate researchers. The research will be presented at national and international conferences, as well as to the public through a number of outreach events. Finally, 1-2 high school students per year will work alongside graduate students on research projects, with the aim of encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in science. This project will address how multiple rewards affect cognition (learning, memory and decision-making), in three objectives. 1) It will be determined how learning is affected by multiple rewards through establishing how single vs. multiple rewards (nectar and pollen) affect how well a stimulus is learned, and the timing of reinforcement. 2) It will be determined how animals make decisions when choosing between options with multiple rewards, through addressing how bees make decisions between flowers that vary in nectar and pollen quality. For this objective it will also be determined whether absolute or comparative judgement is used. 3) It will be determined how bees’ motivational state affects their memory of flowers with multiple rewards, by addressing whether motivational state when learning and remembering affects memory of reward or stimulus quality. All objectives will be carried out using lab- and greenhouse-based experiments with artificial flowers and commercial bumblebee colonies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

动物利用来自环境的多种信息来做出决定，比如在哪里寻找食物，或者哪个选择是最好的选择。传统上，动物如何学习可用选项的研究与单一奖励（如特定的食物）有关。然而，包括人类在内的动物经常不得不在多种类型的奖励中做出不同的决定。这项拨款的研究将确定动物如何做出这些更复杂的决定。为了做到这一点，将使用大黄蜂：这些蜜蜂访问各种各样的花，并在此过程中学会访问最有价值的花。尽管蜜蜂收集多种类型的奖励（最常见的是花蜜和花粉），但大多数研究都集中在蜜蜂是如何根据来自花朵的单一奖励（花蜜）来学习和做出决定的。这项研究将增加我们对大黄蜂觅食的了解，鉴于最近蜜蜂数量的下降，这是特别及时的。它还将更广泛地告诉我们，包括人类在内的动物是如何做出复杂决定的。该基金将资助一名博士后、一名研究生和一名本科生。这项研究将在国家和国际会议上提出，并通过一些外展活动向公众提出。最后，每年将有1-2名高中生与研究生一起进行研究项目，目的是鼓励来自不同背景的学生从事科学事业。该项目将在三个目标中探讨多重奖励如何影响认知（学习、记忆和决策）。1)通过确定单奖励和多奖励（花蜜和花粉）如何影响刺激物的学习效果，以及强化的时间，将确定多重奖励如何影响学习。2)通过解决蜜蜂如何在花蜜和花粉质量不同的花朵之间做出决定，将确定动物如何在具有多种奖励的选择中做出决定。为此目的，还将确定是使用绝对判断还是比较判断。3)通过研究蜜蜂学习和记忆时的动机状态是影响奖励记忆还是影响刺激质量，来确定蜜蜂的动机状态是如何影响对多奖励花的记忆的。所有的目标都将在实验室和温室进行实验，使用人造花和商业大黄蜂群体。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Label-based expectations affect incentive contrast effects in bumblebees

• DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0549
• 发表时间: 2022-03-09
• 期刊: BIOLOGY LETTERS
• 影响因子: 3.3
• 作者: Hemingway, Claire T.;Muth, Felicity
• 通讯作者: Muth, Felicity

Bumblebees show capacity for behavioral traditions

大黄蜂表现出遵守行为传统的能力

• DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00594-0
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Learning & Behavior
• 影响因子: 1.8
• 作者: Muth, Felicity