Get ready for a slight departure from our typical informal lectures! This webinar is a roundtable discussion with some slides and video of what it takes to link a behavior cue to a 2D or 3D symbol in a cognitive training task with dolphins (small and large) and sea lions. That is, DCP’s research team partners with animal care specialists/trainers to first teach the animals to pair a 2D or 3D symbol to behaviors in their repertoire. Once learned and reliability connected, we will present two symbols together – either side-by-side or top-bottom – to see how the dolphins respond. Do they do both behaviors at the same time, one after the other? Do they “read” left to right or top to bottom? Knowing this info opens a window into their minds and how they process info.
Note: During this conversation, Dr. Heather Manitzas Hill referenced a study from researchers in Japan. That citation is Santa, A., Kanda, K., Kako, T., Miyajima, M., & Adachi, I. (2024). Matching-to-Sample Task Training of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca). Animals, 14(6), 821, available at https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/6/821
Thank you to our colleagues who joined this conversation and to all who are a part of the study!
Deep Dives are geared toward ages 14+, but all are welcome.
You can also find other DCP webinars here on our website, our YouTube Channel, or our Vimeo page.