Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Neophobia, aversive behaviour towards novel objects, foods and environments, is a trait that affects the ability of animals to adapt to new environments and exploit novel resources. Our previous work demonstrated that individual responses of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to object neophobia tri...

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Main Authors: Blake A. Dusang, Marquise S. Henry, Melanie G. Kimball, Ella B. Cochran, Michael B. Wilson, Christine R. Lattin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Royal Society 2025-05-01
Series:Royal Society Open Science
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Online Access:https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250220
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author Blake A. Dusang
Marquise S. Henry
Melanie G. Kimball
Ella B. Cochran
Michael B. Wilson
Christine R. Lattin
author_facet Blake A. Dusang
Marquise S. Henry
Melanie G. Kimball
Ella B. Cochran
Michael B. Wilson
Christine R. Lattin
author_sort Blake A. Dusang
collection DOAJ
description Neophobia, aversive behaviour towards novel objects, foods and environments, is a trait that affects the ability of animals to adapt to new environments and exploit novel resources. Our previous work demonstrated that individual responses of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to object neophobia trials were not correlated with time spent in or latency to enter a novel environment. However, because no positive stimulus was present in the novel environment, this study may have measured spatial neophilia. In the present study, we placed familiar food dishes in a novel environment and assessed whether an individual’s willingness to enter and feed was significantly correlated with its willingness to feed from a familiar dish containing a novel object in the home cage. We exposed house sparrows (n = 26) to a novel environment and measured their latency to enter and feed, total time spent in the novel environment and total feeding time. Sparrows were also assessed for object neophobia in their home cage. Results indicated that there were no correlations between any of the measured behaviours in the novel environment and individual responses to novel object trials, suggesting that even with food as a common motivator, spatial neophobia and object neophobia represent two distinct traits.
format Article
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issn 2054-5703
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher The Royal Society
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series Royal Society Open Science
spelling doaj-art-eae88cc511ec4ddfa3f424d65ad3ccd32025-08-20T01:55:27ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-05-0112510.1098/rsos.250220Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)Blake A. Dusang0Marquise S. Henry1Melanie G. Kimball2Ella B. Cochran3Michael B. Wilson4Christine R. Lattin5Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USABiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USABiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USABiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USABiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USABiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USANeophobia, aversive behaviour towards novel objects, foods and environments, is a trait that affects the ability of animals to adapt to new environments and exploit novel resources. Our previous work demonstrated that individual responses of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to object neophobia trials were not correlated with time spent in or latency to enter a novel environment. However, because no positive stimulus was present in the novel environment, this study may have measured spatial neophilia. In the present study, we placed familiar food dishes in a novel environment and assessed whether an individual’s willingness to enter and feed was significantly correlated with its willingness to feed from a familiar dish containing a novel object in the home cage. We exposed house sparrows (n = 26) to a novel environment and measured their latency to enter and feed, total time spent in the novel environment and total feeding time. Sparrows were also assessed for object neophobia in their home cage. Results indicated that there were no correlations between any of the measured behaviours in the novel environment and individual responses to novel object trials, suggesting that even with food as a common motivator, spatial neophobia and object neophobia represent two distinct traits.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250220behavioural syndromespersonalitytemperamentcoping stylesboldnessexploration
spellingShingle Blake A. Dusang
Marquise S. Henry
Melanie G. Kimball
Ella B. Cochran
Michael B. Wilson
Christine R. Lattin
Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
Royal Society Open Science
behavioural syndromes
personality
temperament
coping styles
boldness
exploration
title Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
title_full Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
title_fullStr Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
title_full_unstemmed Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
title_short Spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
title_sort spatial neophobia is still not correlated with object neophobia in wild caught house sparrows passer domesticus
topic behavioural syndromes
personality
temperament
coping styles
boldness
exploration
url https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250220
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