Data for: Uncertainty about old information results in differential predator memory in tadpoles

As information ages, it may become less accurate, resulting in increased
uncertainty for decision-makers. For example, chemical alarm cues are a
source of public information about a nearby predator attack, and these
cues can become spatially inaccurate through time. These cues can also
degrade quickly under natural conditions, and cue receivers are sensitive
to such degradation. Although numerous studies have documented
predator-recognition learning from fresh alarm cues, no studies have
explored learning from aged alarm cues and whether the uncertainty
associated with this older information contributes to shortening the
retention of learned responses (i.e., the ‘memory window’). Here, we found
that wood frog tadpoles, Lithobates sylvaticus, learned to
recognize a novel odour as a predator when paired with alarm cues aged
under natural conditions for up to one hour. However, only tadpoles
conditioned with fresh alarm cues were found to retain this learned
response when tested 9 days after conditioning. These results support the
hypothesis that the memory window is shortened by the uncertainty
associated with older information, preventing the long-term costs of a
learned association that was based on potentially outdated
information.