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Conditioning as a Technique for Studying the Sensory Systems Involved in Animal Orientation, Homing and Navigation – a Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2009

Cordula V. Mora ,
Michael Davison  and
Michael M. Walker
Cordula V. Mora*
Affiliation:
(University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Michael Davison
Affiliation:
(University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Michael M. Walker
Affiliation:
(University of Auckland, New Zealand)
*
(Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Knowing what information, and from which sensory cues, is available to an animal regarding its position and direction of movement is vital for unravelling the mechanisms underlying animal navigation. Although considerable progress has been made with traditional field and laboratory techniques, these approaches generally do not provide direct control over the animal's motivation to display its sensory abilities. In contrast, psychologists have for many decades used conditioning as a reliable tool to study sensory perception as well as the mechanisms underlying learning. There has been growing interest in the use of conditioning techniques to investigate responses to stimuli that might be used in guiding movement over long distances. This review seeks to facilitate that development by providing a general introduction to conditioning and the considerations involved in designing robust conditioning experiments together with a perspective for its future use in studying sensory systems in migratory and homing species.

Keywords

OrientationMigrationNavigationHomingConditioningSensory
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 62 , Issue 4 , October 2009 , pp. 571 - 585
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2009

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