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Cited by 84Memory Processes and InfluencesMemory and Neural MechanismsChild and Animal Learning Development

Episodic-like memory: Pigeons can report location pecked when unexpectedly asked

Zentall, Thomas R., Singer, Rebecca A., Stagner, Jessica P.·2008·Behavioural Processes
DOI 10.1016/j.beproc.2008.05.003
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Abstract

Pigeons were tested for their ability to report the location they recently pecked, without prior experience having to do so. They were first pretrained to report the location that they had just pecked. They were then trained on a conditional discrimination to associate yellow and blue samples with vertical and horizontal comparisons, respectively, independent of comparison location. On probe trials in testing, when after choosing a vertical or horizontal line following the yellow or blue sample, the pigeons were 'asked' which location they had just pecked, they showed a significant tendency to choose correctly in spite of the fact that location of the correct comparison was incidental to the task. Performing on probe trials is analogous to asking the pigeons an unexpected question about their recent behavior and it is similar to the episodic memory question asked of humans, "What did you have for breakfast this morning?".

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.beproc.2008.05.003

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  • Training animals to explicitly encode and report information in an anticipated memory test may result in the application of non-episodic mechanisms to solve these tasks.

    “That said, training animals to explicitly encode and report information in an anticipated memory test, as is required for what–where–when memory experiments, may result in the application of non-episodic mechanisms to solve these tasks [74,79–84].”

    From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

  • Multiple non-human species are able to encode and recall incidental information within remembered events.

    “These studies demonstrate that multiple non-human species are able to encode and recall incidental information within remembered events, such as spatial locations [80,81,83,93,97,98], visual markers [92], the identity of experimenters [83], the presence (or absence) of food [74,82], odour cues [94], as well as aspects of their own [79–81,93,95] and other’s behaviour [96].”

    From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

  • Some studies use non-natural methodological elements to test for episodic-like memory, such as pecking or approaching shapes or coloured panels, or requiring subjects to recall their own or others' previous actions out of an array of behaviours.

    “Some studies, however, use non-natural methodological elements to test for episodic-like memory [75], such as pecking or approaching certain shapes or coloured panels that are presented in front of the subjects [56,78–81], or requiring subjects to recall their own or others’ previous actions out of an array of behaviours [95,96].”

    From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [81]

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Authors
Zentall, T. R., Singer, R. A., & Stagner, J. P.
Affiliations
  • University of Kentucky (US)
  • Georgetown University (US)
Corresponding author
Zentall, Thomas R.
ORCID
Venue
Behavioural Processes
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-10
Volume
79
Issue
2
Pages
93-98
ISSN
0376-6357 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.beproc.2008.05.003
OpenAlex
W2003040861
Cited by
84
References
23
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 9
FWCI
1.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Behavioural Processes (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH-63726, MH-077450, R01MH063726, F31MH077450)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
episodic-like memory, pigeons, location memory, conditional discrimination, probe trials, incidental learning, animal cognition
MeSH terms
Animals, Association Learning, Conditioning, Classical, Discrimination, Psychological, Columbidae, Retention, Psychology, Set, Psychology

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