Learning and decision-making in small mammals

Patterns of individual differences in cognition have been studied systematically in the last decade, but causes and consequences of this variation are still largely unclear. A recent hypothesis suggests that one predictor of individual variation in cognition is animal personality, and specifically that personality types are linked to cognitive strategies through a speed–accuracy trade-off (Carere & Locurto 2011; Sih & Del Giudice 2012).

In this project we test specific predictions of this hypothesis, measuring individual differences in learning speed and flexibility of small mammals, along with decision-making and personality traits exploration, activity and boldness.

We combine laboratory tests with controlled experiments under natural and semi-natural conditions, adopting established methodologies from personality research as well as developing suitable protocols to test individuals’ decision-making in ecologically-relevant dimensions.