title: Visual hierarchical processing and lateralization of cognitive functions through domestic chicks' eyes.
abstract: Hierarchical stimuli have proven effective for investigating principles of visual organization in humans. A large body of evidence suggests that the analysis of the global forms precedes the analysis of the local forms in our species. Studies on lateralization also indicate that analytic and holistic encoding strategies are separated between the two hemispheres of the brain. This raises the question of whether precedence effects may reflect the activation of lateralized functions within the brain. Non-human animals have perceptual organization and functional lateralization that are comparable to that of humans. Here we trained the domestic chick in a concurrent discrimination task involving hierarchical stimuli. Then, we evaluated the animals for analytic and holistic encoding strategies in a series of transformational tests by relying on a monocular occlusion technique. A local precedence emerged in both the left and the right hemisphere, adding further evidence in favour of analytic processing in non-human animals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto (Trento), Italy ; Department of Life Sciences - Psychology Unit, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chiandetti
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto (Trento), Italy.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pecchia
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences - Psychology Unit, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Patt
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto (Trento), Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vallortigara
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*