Conditioned reflex of fish in groups 2. conditioned reflex in 2 groups of goldfish carassius auratus
Yamagishi, H.; Nakamura, M.
Zoological Magazine (Tokyo) 90(1): 44-53
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-5118 Accession: 005031633
Two groups of 4 individually recognizable yearling goldfish were conditioned to a sound (700 Hz) by means of a food-getting method (swimming into the feeding place). All fish in the 1st group which were accustomed to entering the feeding place succeeded in establishing stable positive reactions to the conditioned stimuli on the 4th day of the experiment. In the 2nd group which was not accustomed to swimming to the feeding place, 2 of the 4 fish established a stable conditioned reaction later than the other 2. In this group, another fish played a lead role in swimming into the feeding place when the conditioning stimulus was applied. A separation test suggested that the seemingly conditioned reaction observed in some fish was induced by following the previously conditioned fish or imitating the conditioned reaction of those fish. After conditioning was established, fish in both groups chased and nipped the others in, and in front of, the feeding place as if they were defending their territory. The attacks of the dominant fish were not strong enough to inhibit the conditioned behavior of the subordinate fish.