How is information seeking related to cue and outcome values in pigeons? A new, ecologically realistic foraging paradigm

信息寻求与鸽子的提示和结果值有何关系？

• 批准号: 523122036
• 负责人: Dr. Patrick Anselme, Ph.D.
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lehrstuhl für Biopsychologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/523122036?language=en
• 关键词: How; information; seeking; related; cue

It is common to interpret animal foraging as a random search for reward (such as food) and reward-predictive cues (odors, colors, shapes, etc.) or as the result of a learned expectation of profitable locations. There are no doubts that finding rewards is the ultimate goal of foraging activity and that animals may use various strategies to obtain them. But what animals are exactly doing when they seek food is a matter of discussion. Are they only focused on the cues and the rewards to be possibly encountered? Or are they also searching for information capable of predicting consistent (reliable) cue-reward pairings as accurately as possible? The present project aims to uncover the role of information in search effort and choice behavior in a foraging task. The task is designed to minimize the effect of reward predictive cues on decision and information is always associated with the less rewarding option. In the most rewarding (non-informative) option, pigeons have to give operant pecks that provide food with a 33% chance (once every three pecks, on average), whether the key is blue or yellow. In the less rewarding (fully informative) option, pigeons have to give operant pecks that provide food with a 100% chance after a yellow cue has been displayed (more than three pecks are required to obtain a yellow cue). Pigeons (Columba livia) will be used as an animal model because a vast literature indicates that these birds are highly sensitive to information about food delivery. At the same time, the procedures traditionally used do not tell us much about how they use this information during a foraging bout. Major predictions of behavioral theories relevant to the study of animal foraging under food unpredictability will be tested and contrasted. The results of the experiments presented in this project will tell us which parameters determine information seeking to the detriment of primary reward procurement, and vice versa, in a foraging task. We will be able to assess choice but also the willingness to make search effort.

通常将动物觅食解释为随机搜索奖励（如食物）和奖励预测线索（气味，颜色，形状等）。或者作为对盈利位置的学习期望的结果。毫无疑问，寻找奖励是觅食活动的最终目标，动物可能会使用各种策略来获得奖励。但动物在觅食时究竟在做什么是一个值得讨论的问题。他们是否只关注可能遇到的线索和奖励？或者他们也在寻找能够尽可能准确地预测一致（可靠）的线索-奖励配对的信息？本研究旨在揭示信息在觅食任务中搜索努力和选择行为中的作用。该任务旨在最大限度地减少奖励预测线索对决策的影响，并且信息总是与奖励较少的选项相关联。在最有价值（非信息）的选择中，鸽子必须以33%的机会（平均每三次啄一次）提供食物，无论钥匙是蓝色还是黄色。在奖励较少（信息充分）的选项中，鸽子必须在黄色提示显示后进行有100%机会提供食物的操作性啄（需要三次以上的啄才能获得黄色提示）。将使用家鸽（Columba livia）作为动物模型，因为大量文献表明，这些鸟类对有关食物递送的信息高度敏感。与此同时，传统上使用的程序并没有告诉我们很多关于它们在觅食回合中如何使用这些信息的信息。主要预测的行为理论相关的研究动物觅食下的食物不可预测性将进行测试和对比。在这个项目中提出的实验的结果将告诉我们，哪些参数决定的信息寻求损害的主要奖励采购，反之亦然，在觅食任务。我们将能够评估选择，但也愿意作出搜索努力。