Socially mediated learning in male Betta splendens: III. Rapid acquisition
Aggressive Behavior, 14 (6):
415--424 (1988)Abstract
In 4 experiments with male Siamese fighting fish, the classical conditioning of visual/spatial cues with elicitors of aggression was examined. These studies indicate that this type of socially mediated learning is more rapidly conditioned than previously observed (e.g., P. M. Bronstein see PA, Vol 74:378). One 15-min training session was adequate to condition a preference for those cues that had recently been paired with conspecific images. Behavior occurring during acquisition, in the presence of aggression-eliciting cues, was uncorrelated with the magnitude of the learned preferences that were assayed during extinction tests and in the absence of social stimuli.