Experimental investigations of time perception, working memory, and metacongnition in animals

我的研究项目的主要目标是通过增加我们对动物如何编码和保留信息的理解，为认知科学的一般领域做出贡献。时间和数量，以及空间，构成了动物生存和繁殖必须有效利用的基本维度。我研究的主要重点是基于实验室的行为调查，旨在进一步了解鸽子和老鼠如何处理时间和数字信息。拟议的研究将主要集中在鸽子和大鼠的行为研究上，旨在进一步阐明(1)刺激特性影响时间感知的方式，以及实验条件如何影响这些效应的表达；(2)动物对时间信息的编码和记忆机制；(3)鸽子对时间信息是否具有元记忆。了解刺激特性对时间加工的影响，动物处理时间信息的方式，以及动物元认知的能力和局限性，将标志着我们在功能水平上对动物认知的理解取得重大进展，也将有助于对非人类动物这些过程的神经生物学研究。

The major objective of my research program has been to contribute to the general area of cognitive science by increasing our understanding of how animals encode and retain information. Time and number, along with space, constitute fundamental dimensions which animals must effectively utilize in order to survive and reproduce. The primary focus of my research has been on laboratory-based behavioural investigations designed to further our understanding how pigeons and rats process both temporal and numerical information. The proposed research will primarily focus on behavioural studies in pigeons and rats designed to further clarify (1) the way in which stimulus properties impact temporal perception and how experimental conditions affect the expression of these effects; (2) the mechanisms underlying animals' encoding and memory of temporal information; and (3) whether pigeons have metamemory for temporal information. Understanding the effects of stimulus properties on temporal processing, the way in which animals process temporal information, and the capacities and limitations for metacognition in animals will mark a significant advancement in our understanding of animal cognition at a functional level and should also contribute to neurobiological investigations of these processes in nonhuman animals.