Context-dependent preferences in wild fruit bats

In models of animal choice, individuals are expected to evaluate options in absolute terms and assign some intrinsic, fitness-related utility value to different options. These expectations are consistent with those of economic rationality, producing decisions that are consistent across variable contexts. Evidence from humans and some other animals suggest that decision shortcuts might produce ‘irrational’ decisions that are influenced by the context of the choice. While there is widespread evidence that these mechanisms may influence animal decision-making, we can now explore how the presence and degree of these biases may arise in different animals based on their ecology. Here, we investigated context-dependent decision making in wild Jamaican fruit bats (<i>Artibeus jamaicensis</i>), specifically testing for shifts in preferences with the addition of an irrelevant decoy option. Fruit bats showed evidence for decision-making strategies that are sensitive to the context of the choice. We argue that studies aimed at exploring how an animal’s ecology might influence the presence and magnitude of these biases in decision-making of different animals are critical for understanding how animals make choices.

在动物选择行为模型中，个体通常被认为会以绝对维度评估可选方案，并为不同选项赋予内在的、与适合度相关的效用价值。这一预期契合经济理性的核心假设，即决策可在多变情境下保持一致。来自人类及部分其他动物的研究证据显示，决策捷径可能催生受选择情境影响的“非理性”决策。尽管已有大量证据表明这类认知机制会影响动物的决策行为，但如今我们可以基于不同动物的生态学特征，探究这些决策偏差的存在与否及其幅度如何在不同类群中产生差异。

本研究针对野生牙买加果蝠（<i>Artibeus jamaicensis</i>）开展了情境依赖型决策行为的相关实验，重点检验在添加无关诱饵选项（irrelevant decoy option）后，其偏好是否会发生偏移。实验结果显示，果蝠的决策策略对选择情境具有敏感性。

我们认为，若要深入理解动物的决策机制，关键在于开展相关研究，探索不同动物的生态学特征如何影响其决策过程中这类偏差的存在与否及其幅度。