title: Bumblebees show cognitive flexibility by improving on an observed complex behavior.
abstract: We explored bees' behavioral flexibility in a task that required transporting a small ball to a defined location to gain a reward. Bees were pretrained to know the correct location of the ball. Subsequently, to obtain a reward, bees had to move a displaced ball to the defined location. Bees that observed demonstration of the technique from a live or model demonstrator learned the task more efficiently than did bees observing a "ghost" demonstration (ball moved via magnet) or without demonstration. Instead of copying demonstrators moving balls over long distances, observers solved the task more efficiently, using the ball positioned closest to the target, even if it was of a different color than the one previously observed. Such unprecedented cognitive flexibility hints that entirely novel behaviors could emerge relatively swiftly in species whose lifestyle demands advanced learning abilities, should relevant ecological pressures arise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK. o.loukola@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Olli J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9094-2004
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Loukola
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Cwyn
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2517-6179
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Solvi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Louie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coscos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8153-1732
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chittka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003071:Cognition; D007858:Learning; D012201:Reward; D012919:Social Behavior