Pigeons and Psychology: An Interview with Department Professors.

Under the direction of Lucas Rocheti, TV Conectado conducted a program on Hiperconectado about pigeons, which aired on October 4, 2023. In this program, several professionals and scientists were interviewed to explore the history, life, and behavior of pigeons. Among the guests, the department professors stood out: Gerson Yukio Tomanari from the Laboratory of Experimental Behavior Analysis, Professor Marcelo Benvenutti from the Laboratory of Experimental Behavior Analysis of Social and Cultural Phenomena, and Dr. Saulo Velasco in Experimental Psychology. Also participating were Adjunct Professor of the Department of Ecology and Zoology at UFSC, Guilherme R. Brito, Senior Curator of Birds at the Natural History Museum in Tring, United Kingdom, Hein Van Grouw, Biologist from the City of São Paulo specialized in Zoonoses, Gladyson Costa, and pigeon enthusiast Guilherme Silva.

Professor Gerson Tomanari described the use of pigeons in studies of learning processes. He explained that in his laboratory, they have researched whether pigeons can deduce logical relations. He illustrated the deduction of logical relations in humans with an example: when we learn a foreign language, we can relate a new word to the spoken and written word in Portuguese, as well as its image, even if the new word was initially only related to the image. The idea behind the experiment was to determine if pigeons can form symbolic classes based on their life experiences. For this, they used a box with a response disc and images of Neymaier’s architectural works. They taught pigeons that one image (A) was related to another image (B) by Neymaier. Whenever the pigeon pecked when both images were present, it received food. Then, they related two other images, one that they had already learned (B) with a new image (C). In the end, they evaluated whether the pigeon responded to the non-learned relation between the first image (A) and the last image (C). This type of experiment is part of stimulus equivalence studies, which investigate symbolic behavior. The author emphasized that “The secret of our experiment was to allow the pigeon to be constantly involved in a permanent process of learning. Pigeons are capable of using symbols and making deductions based on the relations they learn between these symbols.”

Professor Marcelo Benvenutti described another line of research that has also been explored with the help of pigeons. In this line, they investigate the differences between social and individual learning processes. They have wondered if pigeons are capable of cooperating and, if so, what elements are necessary for pigeons to choose between individual and cooperative work. To answer this question, they developed an experimental box to observe the behavior of pigeons in situations of individual and cooperative work. In this box, they placed two pigeons and observed whether they adjusted their behavior based on the actions of the other pigeon, identifying which elements are critical for this choice between individual and cooperative work. The results showed that pigeon cooperation depends on experimental conditions, influenced by the benefits of cooperation and the distribution of these benefits. Cooperation is advantageous when the sum of efforts results in mutual gains. Furthermore, the equitable distribution of these gains plays an important role in the decision to cooperate, depending on a fairer and more equitable distribution of goods.

On his part, Dr. Saulo Velasco discussed the division of roles among pigeons, where one assumes the role of leader and the other of follower. Additionally, Professor Guilherme R. Brito described the arrival of pigeons in America and their early development. Hein Van Grouw explained how pigeons adapted to cities and their role in wars, acting as messengers. Gladyson Costa talked about the effects on human health and city architecture due to pigeons, emphasizing the importance of not feeding them to improve the health of both pigeons and the people around them. Guilherme Silva described the different pigeon breeds and the competitions involving these animals.

In addition to being interesting and entertaining, the program can serve as an invitation to explore the field of experimental behavior analysis and decipher the more complex behaviors of animals and humans. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of using pigeons in behavior analysis research, as they have the ability to provide valuable information about both simple and complex behavioral processes.

If you are interested in watching the full video, please click here.