Fear learning by observation in pigeons (Columba livia)

Abstract

Introduction. Studies in rodents and primates have shown that fear learning occurs through experience with aversive contingencies or by watching the experience of others. Objective. To examine the acquisition of conditioned fear response by pigeons who observed the classical conditioning tone-shock training in an animal model. Method. Pigeons, adult male (Columba Livia), assigned to groups: Model Group and Observation Group. The experimental procedure was conducted with trained model pigeons and observers’ pigeons. The groups were exposed to training with three pairings tone-shock, followed by the context test 24 hours later and the tone test, 48 hours later. The sessions were recorded for transcription and behavior analysis. Behavioral data was analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey test for post hoc comparisons. Results. Model Groups and Observation Groups were characterized by presentation of freezing behavior typically studied in work involving aversive learning. It was the same pattern of behavior for pigeons Models and Observers, which indicates that the experience of observing other pigeon during aversive training resulted in conditioned fear behaviors, demonstrating fear learning by observation in pigeons. Conclusion. These data corroborate results obtained in primates and rodents