Abstract
The ability to represent both the identity and trajectory of hidden objects underlies our capacity to reason about causal mechanisms. However, to date no studies have shown that non-human animals are capable of representing these two factors simultaneously. Here, we tested whether kea can represent out-of-sight object trajectories and identities by presenting subjects with three tasks, each of which involved tracking or predicting hand trajectories as they moved behind a screen. Taken together, our results suggest that kea have the capacity for mental simulation in complex tasks involving moving hidden objects.
Highlights
The ability to represent both the identity and trajectory of hidden objects underlies our capacity to reason about causal mechanisms
Research on non-human animals has largely focused on object trajectory, using invisible displacement and spatial transposition tasks, rather than the combination of object trajectory and identity
An object is placed in a displacement device, and this device is moved behind a screen
Summary
The ability to represent both the identity and trajectory of hidden objects underlies our capacity to reason about causal mechanisms. We tested whether kea can represent out-of-sight object trajectories and identities by presenting subjects with three tasks, each of which involved tracking or predicting hand trajectories as they moved behind a screen. If we see a bird fly behind a tree, we expect the same bird to emerge from behind the tree on the same trajectory This ability is a key foundation underlying our ability to simulate complex out-of-sight interactions, including hidden causal mechanisms[5,6]. We tested whether kea could simultaneously represent the trajectory and identity of objects, using tasks where subjects had to represent the identity of hidden tokens while making predictions about their trajectories
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