Turn alternation by bugs on causeways as a delayed compensatory response and the effects of varying visual inputs and length of straight path
1965; Elsevier BV; Volume: 13; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0003-3472(65)90088-6
ISSN1095-8282
Autores Tópico(s)Behavioral and Psychological Studies
Resumo1. Both Dysdercus and Oncopeltus when placed on a causeway which includes a forced turn will make a second opposite turn at a subsequent free choice. The magnitude of the opposite turn is a direct but non-linear function of the straight run distance between the start of the causeway and the forced turn. 2. Blinding or red light reduces the magnitude of the turn at the free choice point by more than half. 3. Providing white light while a bug is running any portion of the causeway increases the magnitude of the turn at the free choice above that occurring in red light or with blinded bugs. The sum of effects of lighting various portions plus the value for blinded bugs equals, approximately, the angle turned by normal bugs. 4. On a black causeway with no forced turn striped panels beside or white paper beneath the straight portion results in bugs turning less at a free choice toward a biasing panel of stripes than bugs which ran a causeway bordered by plain panels. This straightening tendency was also increased by a longer straight path. These results suggest that adding to the visual, kinaesthetic, and possibly tactile inputs during the traversing of the straight portion enhances compensatory responses entrained by turning; hence these conflict with and reduce the visual response to biasing stripes. 5. On a black causeway which included a forced turn, white paper beneath, as in (4) above, increased the later turn opposite to the forced turn over that observed previously with black beneath. This result would be expected if increasing straight path visual inputs increased the compensatory responses to deviating stimuli. 6. The alternation of turns by bugs in the experimental arrangement described here is a behavioural pattern involving kinaesthetic, visual, priming, and memory components. 7. The turn opposite to the forced turn is considered a delayed compensatory response to the deviating stimuli of the forced turn. The delay indicates the memory element, and the direct effect of increasing straight path inputs the priming. The response is presumed to be a manifestation of a generalized orientation phenomenon which assures non-random movement.
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