Date of Thesis

Spring 2022

Description

Winner and loser effects have been documented in many species throughout the animal kingdom, but have yet to be investigated in Madagascar hissing cockroaches. This study seeks to determine if winner or loser effects are present in Madagascar hissing cockroaches. In Experiment 1, three subjects won a training contest and three subjects lost a training contest. Training contest winner and training contest loser subjects were then paired up in test contests. Four of the 6 subjects showed test contest outcomes consistent with their training contest outcomes, but the overall conclusions were ambiguous due to the small sample size. Whether the results supported the social-cue or self-assessment hypothesis could not be determined because both subjects had a previous social experience. In Experiment 2, four subjects won their training contests and six subjects lost their training contests before being paired in a test contest against a neutral, inexperienced rival. Eight of 10 subjects showed test contest outcomes consistent with their training contest outcomes, suggesting the presence of both winner and loser effects. The results of Experiment 2 additionally provide support for the self-assessment hypothesis of winner and loser effects in this species, which suggests that individuals reevaluate their own abilities based on their outcomes from previous interactions.

Keywords

Experience effects, comparative cognition, animal behavior, winner effect, loser effect, dominance

Access Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Type

Bachelor of Science

Major

Biology

Second Major

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Reggie Paxton Gazes

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Capaldi

Third Advisor

Brian Smith

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