ESM_cognitive illusions data from Jays are sensitive to cognitive illusions

Jays hide food caches, steal them from conspecifics and use tactics to minimize cache theft. Jays are sensitive to the content of their own caches, retrieving items depending on their preferences and the perishability of the cached item. Whether jays impose the same content sensitivity when they steal caches is less clear. We adapted the ‘cups-and-balls’ magic routine, creating a cognitive illusion to test whether jays are sensitive to the (i) content of hidden items and (ii) type of displacement. Subjects were presented with two conditions in which hidden food was consistent with their expectations; and two conditions in which food was manipulated to violate their expectations by switching their second preferred food for their preferred food (up-value) or vice versa (de-value). Subjects readily accepted food when it was consistent with their expectations but were more likely to re-inspect the baited cup and alternative cup when their expectations were violated. In the de-value condition, jays exhibited longer latencies to consume the food and often rejected it. Dominant subjects were more likely to reject the food, suggesting that social factors influence their responses to cognitive illusions. Using cognitive illusions offers innovative avenues for investigating the psychological constraints in diverse animal minds.

松鸦（Jay）会贮藏食物、从同种个体手中窃取食物贮藏，并采取策略以降低贮藏被窃的风险。松鸦对自身贮藏的食物内容具备敏感度，会依据自身取食偏好以及贮藏食物的易腐性来取回食物。目前尚不明确，松鸦在窃取他人食物贮藏时，是否也会表现出相同的内容敏感度。我们改编了经典的‘杯球魔术（cups-and-balls）’范式，构建认知错觉实验，以此检验松鸦是否对（i）隐藏食物的内容，以及（ii）食物的位移类型具备敏感度。实验设置两类条件：一类为隐藏食物符合受试预期的条件，另一类为通过将受试的次选食物替换为首选食物（升值处理，up-value），或反之（降值处理，de-value），操控食物以违背其预期的条件。当隐藏食物符合受试预期时，受试松鸦会欣然取食；而当其预期被违背时，受试更倾向于重新检查放置了食物的杯子与备用杯子。在降值处理条件下，松鸦的进食潜伏期更长，且常会拒绝取食。群体中占支配地位的受试个体更易拒绝食物，这表明社会因素会影响受试对认知错觉的反应。借助认知错觉实验，为探究不同物种动物心智中的心理约束机制提供了创新性的研究路径。