A behavioural syndrome, but less evidence for a relationship with cognitive traits in a spatial orientation context

Abstract Background Animals show consistent individual behavioural differences in many species. Further, behavioural traits (personality traits) form behavioural syndromes, characterised by correlations between different behaviours. Mechanisms maintaining these correlations could be constrained due to underlying relationships with cognitive traits. There is growing evidence for the non-independence of animal personality and general cognitive abilities in animals, but so far, studies on the direction of the relationship between them revealed contradictory results. Still, it is hypothesised that individuals may exhibit consistent learning and decision styles. Fast behavioural types (consistently bolder and more active individuals) are expected to show faster learning styles. Slow behavioural types in contrast are assumed to learn slower but more accurately. This can be caused by a speed-accuracy trade-off that individuals face during decision making. We measured the repeatability of three personality and four spatial cognitive traits in adult Eurasian harvest mice (Micromys minutus). We analysed correlations among personality traits (behavioural syndrome). We further investigated the relationships between personality and spatial cognitive traits as a first step exploring the potential connection between personality and cognition in this species. Results Our results showed that exploration, activity and boldness were repeatable in adult mice. Spatial recognition measured in a Y Maze was also significantly repeatable, as well as spatial learning performance and decision speed. We found no repeatability of decision accuracy. Harvest mice showed a behavioural syndrome as we observed strong positive correlations between personality traits. The speed-accuracy trade-off was not apparent within, nor between individuals. Nevertheless, we found weak evidence for a relationship between personality and spatial cognitive traits as fast behavioural types learned a spatial orientation task faster than slow types, and shyer harvest mice made decisions quicker than bolder mice. Conclusions Given these correlations, our data provided some first insights into the relationship between personality and spatial cognitive traits in harvest mice and will hopefully stimulate more studies in this field.

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PID https://www.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3726253
PID https://www.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-22259
PID https://www.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3726253.v1
URL http://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-22259
URL http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3726253.v1
URL http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3726253
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Author Schuster, Andrea
Author Zimmermann, Uwe
Author Hauer, Carina
Author Foerster, Katharina
Contributor University, My
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Collected From Datacite
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Publication Date 2017-01-01
Publisher Figshare
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Language UNKNOWN
Resource Type Collection; Other ORP type
keyword FOS: Sociology
keyword FOS: Biological sciences
keyword FOS: Health sciences
system:type other
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Source https://science-innovation-policy.openaire.eu/search/other?orpId=dedup_wf_001::6fda08785a1bd486d96b834acbf82bdc
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Last Updated 19 December 2020, 02:16 (CET)
Created 19 December 2020, 02:16 (CET)