Journal
JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Volume 46, Issue 3, Pages 255-261Publisher
BLACKWELL PUBL LTD
DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5584.2004.00257.x
Keywords
Chinese boxes; hierarchical combination; preadaptation; Degu
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The ability to hierarchically combine multiple objects to construct a self-embedded structure is assumed to be unique to primates and parrots. However, we observed that Degus, a species of rodents, spontaneously constructed this structure while they were being trained for an unrelated vocal operant task. With a large dust-bath bowl, a medium sized food cup, and a small toy ball, they built a triplet Chinese boxes. The strategy by Degus in constructing this structure was similar with that by primates: first they mainly constructed pairs of the objects and then proceeded to triplets. The relation between the evolutionary emergence of hierarchical construction and language acquisition is discussed.
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