Animal learning and intelligence / Invatarea si inteligenta la animale
Oxford, England: Inst. De Psichol. Univ. Cluj., (1934)Abstract
The behavior of the fighting fish (Betta splendens Regan) was experimentally investigated. The fish was separated from food by a glass, perforated so that the fish can reach the food. It has to learn to find this way. Different changes are effected. Conclusions: (1) the fish learns rather easily and quickly to reach the food; (2) chance seems to play a rather important role; (3) after the first successful act the fish succeeds quickly in avoiding errors; (4) the learning process seems to be based mainly on kinesthetic movements, and after that on vision; (5) when the way is changed the animal seeks for older ones and only after that seeks for the new one; (6) from two indirect ways the unknown one is always discarded; (7) the fish is able to follow the learned way even when obliged to spring out of water; (8) the behavior does not seem to be strictly mechanical; (9) the explanation of the behavior seems to support mainly Uexkull's and the Gestalt theories. A German resume is given at the end of the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)