caa a22 4500 605542201 CHVBK 20210128100920.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150501xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10071-014-0829-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10071-014-0829-x The use of proportion by young domestic chicks ( Gallus gallus ) [Elektronische Daten] [Rosa Rugani, Giorgio Vallortigara, Lucia Regolin] We investigated whether 4-day-old domestic chicks can discriminate proportions. Chicks were trained to respond, via food reinforcement, to one of the two stimuli, each characterized by different proportions of red and green areas (¼ vs. ¾). In Experiment 1, chicks approached the proportion associated with food, even if at test the spatial dispositions of the two areas were novel. In Experiment 2, chicks responded on the basis of proportion even when the testing stimuli were of enlarged dimensions, creating a conflict between the absolute positive area experienced during training and the relative proportion of the two areas. However, chicks could have responded on the basis of the overall colour (red or green) of the figures rather than proportion per se. To control for this objection, in Experiment 3, we used new pairs of testing stimuli, each depicting a different number of small squares on a white background (i.e. 1 green and 3 red vs. 3 green and 1 red or 5 green and 15 red vs. 5 red and 15 green). Chicks were again able to respond to the correct proportion, showing they discriminated on the basis of proportion of continuous quantities and not on the basis of the prevalent colour or on the absolute amount of it. Data indicate that chicks can track continuous quantities through various manipulations, suggesting that proportions are information that can be processed by very young animals. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 Proportion nationallicence Numerical cognition nationallicence Numerical discrimination nationallicence Number sense nationallicence Visual discrimination learning nationallicence Domestic chick nationallicence Rugani Rosa Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35100, Padua, Italy aut Vallortigara Giorgio Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Trento, Italy aut Regolin Lucia Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35100, Padua, Italy aut Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/3(2015-05-01), 605-616 1435-9448 18:3<605 2015 18 10071 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0829-x 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/s10071-014-0829-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Rugani Rosa Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35100, Padua, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Vallortigara Giorgio Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Trento, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Regolin Lucia Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35100, Padua, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/3(2015-05-01), 605-616 1435-9448 18:3<605 2015 18 10071