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dc.contributor.authorVan Horik, JO
dc.contributor.authorLangley, EJG
dc.contributor.authorWhiteside, MA
dc.contributor.authorLaker, PR
dc.contributor.authorMadden, JR
dc.date.accessioned2018-07-18T09:13:09Z
dc.date.issued2018-07-11
dc.description.abstractIntra-individual variation in performance within and across cognitive domains may confound interpretations of both domain general (‘g’) and domain specific abilities. Such variation is rarely considered in animal test batteries. We investigate individual consistency in performance by presenting pheasant chicks (n = 31), raised under standardised conditions, with 9 different cognitive tasks. Among these tasks were two replicated novel variants of Colour Learning and Colour Reversal problems, tests of positional learning and memory, as well as two different tasks that captured multiple putative measures of inhibitory control and motor-related performance. These task variants were also used to compare subjects’ performance on alternative test batteries comprised of different task combinations. Subjects’ performance improved with experience, yet we found relatively little consistency in their performance, both within similar tasks using different paradigms, and across different tasks. Parallel analysis revealed non-significant factors when all 9 tasks were included in a Principal Axis Factor analysis (PAF). However, when different combinations of 6 of the 9 tasks were included in PAF’s, 14 of 84 combinations revealed significant main factors, explaining between 28-35% of the variance in task performance. While comparable findings have been suggested to reflect domain general intelligence in other species, we found no evidence to suggest that a single factor encompassed a diverse range of cognitive abilities in pheasants. Instead, we reveal how single factor explanations of cognitive processes can be influenced by test battery composition and intra-individual variation in performance across tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of conducting multiple tests within specific domains to ensure robust cognitive measures are obtained.en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipJRM, MAW and JOvH were funded by an ERC consolidator grant (616474).en_GB
dc.identifier.citationVol. 5, article 171919en_GB
dc.identifier.doi10.1098/rsos.171919
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10871/33475
dc.language.isoenen_GB
dc.publisherRoyal Society, Theen_GB
dc.relation.sourceElectronic supplementary material is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4139792.en_GB
dc.rights© 2018 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.en_GB
dc.subjectgeneral intelligenceen_GB
dc.subjectcognitionen_GB
dc.subjecttest batteryen_GB
dc.subjectpheasantsen_GB
dc.titleIntra-individual variation in performance on novel variants of similar tasks influences single factor explanations of general cognitive processesen_GB
dc.typeArticleen_GB
dc.date.available2018-07-18T09:13:09Z
dc.identifier.issn2054-5703
dc.descriptionThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from The Royal Society via the DOI in this record.en_GB
dc.identifier.journalRoyal Society Open Scienceen_GB


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