Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Design Of A Retinal Tracking System For Jumping Spiders, Cristina Canavesi, Skye Long, Dennis Fantone, Elizabeth Jakob, Robert Jackson, Duanne Harland, Jannick Rolland
Design Of A Retinal Tracking System For Jumping Spiders, Cristina Canavesi, Skye Long, Dennis Fantone, Elizabeth Jakob, Robert Jackson, Duanne Harland, Jannick Rolland
Psychological and Brain Sciences Faculty Publication Series
We designed an optical system for tracking the retinal movement of a jumping spider as a stimulus is presented to it. The system, using all off-the-shelf optical components except for one custom aspheric plate, consists of three sub-systems that share a common path: a visible stimuli presentation sub-system, a NIR illumination sub-system, and a NIR retinal imaging sub-system. A 25 mm clearance between the last element and the spider ensures a stable positioning of the spider. The stimuli presentation system relays an image from a display to the spider eye, matching the 15 arcmin resolution of the two principal eyes …
Plasticity, Learning And Cognition, Elizabeth Jakob, Christa Danielle Skow, Skye M. Long
Plasticity, Learning And Cognition, Elizabeth Jakob, Christa Danielle Skow, Skye M. Long
Psychological and Brain Sciences Faculty Publication Series
As is becoming increasingly clear, spiders are not entirely instinct driven and inflexible in their behaviour. Here we review evidence for behavioural plasticity, learning and other cognitive processes such as attentional priming and memory. We first examine these attributes in several natural contexts: predation, interactions with conspecifics and potential predators, and spatial navigation. Next we examine two somewhat more artificial experimental approaches, heat aversion and rearing in enriched versus impoverished environments. We briefly describe the neurobiological underpinnings of these behaviours. Finally, we point to areas where our knowledge gaps are greatest, and we offer advice for researchers beginning their own …