Mechanical problem solving in Goffin's cockatoos -- Towards modeling complex behavior

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Baum, Manuel, Roessler, Theresa, Osuna-Mascaró, Antonio J., Auersperg, Alice, Brock, Oliver
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Baum, Manuel
Roessler, Theresa
Osuna-Mascaró, Antonio J.
Auersperg, Alice
Brock, Oliver
author_facet Baum, Manuel
Roessler, Theresa
Osuna-Mascaró, Antonio J.
Auersperg, Alice
Brock, Oliver
contents Research continues to accumulate evidence that Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) can solve wide sets of mechanical problems, such as tool use, tool manufacture, and solving mechanical puzzles. However, the proximate mechanisms underlying this adaptive behavior are largely unknown. In this study, we analyze how three Goffin's cockatoos learn to solve a specific mechanical puzzle, a lockbox. The observed behavior results from the interaction between a complex environment (the lockbox) and different processes that jointly govern the animals' behavior. We thus jointly analyze the parrots' (1) engagement, (2) sensorimotor skill learning, and (3) action selection. We find that neither of these aspects could solely explain the animals' behavioral adaptation and that a plausible model of proximate mechanisms (including adaptation) should thus also jointly address these aspects. We accompany this analysis with a discussion of methods that may be used to identify such mechanisms. A major point we want to make is, that it is implausible to reliably identify a detailed model from the limited data of one or a few studies. Instead, we advocate for a more coarse approach that first establishes constraints on proximate mechanisms before specific, detailed models are formulated. We exercise this idea on the data we present in this study.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_05967
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Mechanical problem solving in Goffin's cockatoos -- Towards modeling complex behavior
Baum, Manuel
Roessler, Theresa
Osuna-Mascaró, Antonio J.
Auersperg, Alice
Brock, Oliver
Neurons and Cognition
Research continues to accumulate evidence that Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) can solve wide sets of mechanical problems, such as tool use, tool manufacture, and solving mechanical puzzles. However, the proximate mechanisms underlying this adaptive behavior are largely unknown. In this study, we analyze how three Goffin's cockatoos learn to solve a specific mechanical puzzle, a lockbox. The observed behavior results from the interaction between a complex environment (the lockbox) and different processes that jointly govern the animals' behavior. We thus jointly analyze the parrots' (1) engagement, (2) sensorimotor skill learning, and (3) action selection. We find that neither of these aspects could solely explain the animals' behavioral adaptation and that a plausible model of proximate mechanisms (including adaptation) should thus also jointly address these aspects. We accompany this analysis with a discussion of methods that may be used to identify such mechanisms. A major point we want to make is, that it is implausible to reliably identify a detailed model from the limited data of one or a few studies. Instead, we advocate for a more coarse approach that first establishes constraints on proximate mechanisms before specific, detailed models are formulated. We exercise this idea on the data we present in this study.
title Mechanical problem solving in Goffin's cockatoos -- Towards modeling complex behavior
topic Neurons and Cognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.05967