Verbruggen, F. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2024

Beyond a unitary construct: Dissecting stopping behaviour in two bird species

The ability to stop behaviour is essential for adapting to changes in the environment, a principle that holds true across various species. While traditionally considered a unitary psychological construct, recent studies indicate that this ability is multifaceted. Our research evaluates this multifaceted nature using three tasks that measure stopping in different contexts in two related gull species: herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and lesser black-backed gulls (L. fuscus). These species were selected for their distinct migration and foraging strategies, offering a unique lens through which to examine behavioural adaptations. Across tasks and species, we conceptualised stopping as a race between a go and a stop runner, and predicted correlations based on the type of stop stimulus, the relative timing of the go and the stop stimuli, and the type of action that needed to be stopped. We found correlations between measures of going across tasks, but there was less consistency in measures of stopping. Furthermore, we observed significant differences in going and stopping behaviours that were specific to each species, which may be linked to their migration and foraging strategies. These findings highlight the importance of considering the multifaceted nature of stopping in evolutionary and behavioural studies.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2021

Post-error slowing reflects the joint impact of adaptive and maladaptive processes during decision making

Errors and their consequences are typically studied by investigating changes in decision speed and accuracy in trials that follow an error, commonly referred to as "post-error adjustments". Many studies have reported that subjects slow down following an error, a phenomenon called "post-error slowing" (PES). However, the functional significance of PES is still a matter of debate as it is not always adaptive. That is, it is not always associated with a gain in performance and can even occur with a decline in accuracy. Here, we hypothesized that the nature of PES is influenced by ones speed-accuracy tradeoff policy, which determines the overall level of choice accuracy in the task at hand. To test this hypothesis, we investigated post-error adjustments in subjects performing the same task while they were required to either emphasize speed (low accuracy) or cautiousness (high accuracy) in two distinct contexts (hasty and cautious contexts, respectively) experienced on separate days. Accordingly, our data indicate that post-error adjustments varied according to the context in which subjects performed the task, with PES being solely significant in the hasty context. In addition, we only observed a gain in performance after errors in a specific trial type, suggesting that post-error adjustments depend on a complex combination of processes that affect the speed of ensuing actions as well as the degree to which such PES comes with a gain in performance.

neuroscience↗