caa a22 4500 605541531 CHVBK 20210128100916.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10071-014-0776-6 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10071-014-0776-6 Practice makes proficient: pigeons (Columba livia ) learn efficient routes on full-circuit navigational traveling salesperson problems [Elektronische Daten] [Danielle Baron, Alejandro Ramirez, Vadim Bulitko, Christopher Madan, Ariel Greiner, Peter Hurd, Marcia Spetch] Visiting multiple locations and returning to the start via the shortest route, referred to as the traveling salesman (or salesperson) problem (TSP), is a valuable skill for both humans and non-humans. In the current study, pigeons were trained with increasing set sizes of up to six goals, with each set size presented in three distinct configurations, until consistency in route selection emerged. After training at each set size, the pigeons were tested with two novel configurations. All pigeons acquired routes that were significantly more efficient (i.e., shorter in length) than expected by chance selection of the goals. On average, the pigeons also selected routes that were more efficient than expected based on a local nearest-neighbor strategy and were as efficient as the average route generated by a crossing-avoidance strategy. Analysis of the routes taken indicated that they conformed to both a nearest-neighbor and a crossing-avoidance strategy significantly more often than expected by chance. Both the time taken to visit all goals and the actual distance traveled decreased from the first to the last trials of training in each set size. On the first trial with novel configurations, average efficiency was higher than chance, but was not higher than expected from a nearest-neighbor or crossing-avoidance strategy. These results indicate that pigeons can learn to select efficient routes on a TSP problem. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 Traveling salesman problem nationallicence Pigeon nationallicence Route learning nationallicence Problem solving nationallicence Nearest-neighbor strategy nationallicence Crossing avoidance nationallicence Planning nationallicence Foraging nationallicence Baron Danielle Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Ramirez Alejandro Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Bulitko Vadim Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Madan Christopher Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Greiner Ariel Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Hurd Peter Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Spetch Marcia Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/1(2015-01-01), 53-64 1435-9448 18:1<53 2015 18 10071 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0776-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0776-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Baron Danielle Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ramirez Alejandro Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bulitko Vadim Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Madan Christopher Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Greiner Ariel Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hurd Peter Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Spetch Marcia Department of Psychology, BSP-217, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/1(2015-01-01), 53-64 1435-9448 18:1<53 2015 18 10071