Use of local visual landmarks for spatial orientation in toads (Rhinella arenarum): The role of distance to a goal.

DANERI, M. FLORENCIA; CASANAVE, EMMA B.; MUZIO, RUBEN N.

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY

AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC

Lugar: Washington DC, (USA); Año: 2012

0735-7036

The ability to orientate in an open field using local visual cues (landmarks) has been tested in the terrestrial toad Rhinella arenarum. Toads were trained to find a container with deionized water in the presence of intramaze landmarks in three experiments. Experiment 1 showed that animals could orientate in space using two landmarks located near the reinforced container. Experiment 2 used only one landmark placed at different distances to the goal. Learning was affected according to the proximity to the goal (the closer the landmark to the goal, the faster toads learned the location). Experiment 3 showed that the position itself gives the landmark different predictive value. Animals preferred landmarks located closer to the goal, more than those located farther away as reference for orientation. Present results revealed that toads can learn to orientate in space using visual cues. In addition, our data show that the effect of spatial proximity between a landmark and a goal (a learning phenomenon previously observed in other groups of animals such as mammals, birds, invertebrates) is also present in amphibians.