[en] Novel problems often partially overlap with familiar ones. Some features match the qualities of previous situations stored in long-term memory and therefore trigger their retrieval. Using relevant, while inhibiting irrelevant, memories to solve novel problems is a hallmark of behavioral flexibility in humans and has recently been demonstrated in great apes. This capacity has been proposed to promote technical innovativeness and thus warrants investigations of such a mechanism in other innovative species. Here, we show that proficient tool-users among Goffin's cockatoos-an innovative tool-using species-could use a relevant previous experience to solve a novel, partially overlapping problem, even despite a conflicting, potentially misleading, experience. This suggests that selecting relevant experiences over irrelevant experiences guides problem solving at least in some Goffin's cockatoos. Our result supports the hypothesis that flexible memory functions may promote technical innovations.
Disciplines :
Animal psychology, ethology & psychobiology
Author, co-author :
Bobrowicz, Katarzyna ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Mémoire et langage ; Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden ; Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
O'Hara, Mark; Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Carminito, Chelsea; Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Auersperg, Alice M I; Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Osvath, Mathias; Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Language :
English
Title :
Goffin's Cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) Can Solve a Novel Problem After Conflicting Past Experiences.
Sverige Vetenskapsrådet European Union. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions KAW - Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund WWTF - Vienna Science and Technology Fund FWF - Austrian Science Fund
Funding text :
We thank Andrey Anikin (Lund University), Claudia Zeitr\u00E4g (Lund University), Joost van der Weijer (Lund University) and Mikael Johansson (Lund University). Furthermore, we sincerely appreciate all help from the Editor and the Reviewers in improving the quality of this manuscript. Funding. This work was funded by the Swedish National Council, Grant No. 2014-6402 conjoined with Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, Cofund, INCA 600398, both awarded to MO, and by Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Grant No. RFh2017-0161, and Kungliga Fysiografiska S\u00E4llskapet i Lund, Grant No. 39929, both awarded to KB. The Goffin Lab is presently funded by WWTF Project CS18 023 and FWF Project P 29075 to AA.This work was funded by the Swedish National Council, Grant No. 2014-6402 conjoined with Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, Cofund, INCA 600398, both awarded to MO, and by Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Grant No. RFh2017-0161, and Kungliga Fysiografiska S\u00E4llskapet i Lund, Grant No. 39929, both awarded to KB. The Goffin Lab is presently funded by WWTF Project CS18 023 and FWF Project P 29075 to AA.
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