Data_Sheet_3_Transfer of Visual Learning Between a Virtual and a Real Environment in Honey Bees: The Role of Active Vision.PDF

To study visual learning in honey bees, we developed a virtual reality (VR) system in which the movements of a tethered bee walking stationary on a spherical treadmill update the visual panorama presented in front of it (closed-loop conditions), thus creating an experience of immersion within a virtual environment. In parallel, we developed a small Y-maze with interchangeable end-boxes, which allowed replacing repeatedly a freely walking bee into the starting point of the maze for repeated decision recording. Using conditioning and transfer experiments between the VR setup and the Y-maze, we studied the extent to which movement freedom and active vision are crucial for learning a simple color discrimination. Approximately 57% of the bees learned the visual discrimination in both conditions. Transfer from VR to the maze improved significantly the bees’ performances: 75% of bees having chosen the CS+ continued doing so and 100% of bees having chosen the CS− reverted their choice in favor of the CS+. In contrast, no improvement was seen for these two groups of bees during the reciprocal transfer from the Y-maze to VR. In this case, bees exhibited inconsistent choices in the VR setup. The asymmetric transfer between contexts indicates that the information learned in each environment may be different despite the similar learning success. Moreover, it shows that reducing the possibility of active vision and movement freedom in the passage from the maze to the VR impairs the expression of visual learning while increasing them in the reciprocal transfer improves it. Our results underline the active nature of visual processing in bees and allow discussing the developments required for immersive VR experiences in insects.

为了探究蜜蜂的视觉学习，本研究开发了一套虚拟现实（VR）系统，其中，一只系留于球形跑步机上的蜜蜂行走动作能够实时更新其前方呈现的视觉全景（闭环条件），从而营造身临其境的虚拟环境体验。同时，我们还设计了一种小型Y型迷宫，其末端箱子可互换，这使得蜜蜂可以从迷宫的自由行走状态反复替换至迷宫的起点，以记录重复决策。通过在VR设置和Y型迷宫之间进行的条件反射和迁移实验，我们探讨了运动自由度和主动视觉在简单颜色辨别学习中的重要性。约57%的蜜蜂在两种条件下均学会了视觉辨别。从VR到迷宫的迁移显著提高了蜜蜂的表现：75%选择CS+的蜜蜂继续选择CS+，而100%选择CS-的蜜蜂逆转了选择，偏向于CS+。相反，在从Y型迷宫到VR的逆向迁移中，这两组蜜蜂的表现并未得到改善。在这种情况下，蜜蜂在VR设置中表现出不一致的选择。这种在不同情境之间的不对称迁移表明，尽管学习成功率相似，但每个环境中学习到的信息可能不同。此外，它还显示出，在迷宫到VR的迁移过程中减少主动视觉和运动自由度的可能性会损害视觉学习表达，而在此过程中的反向迁移则能提高视觉学习表达。我们的研究结果凸显了蜜蜂视觉处理的主动性，并允许我们讨论为昆虫提供沉浸式VR体验所需的发展方向。