麻豆淫院

New research has found that two similar species of birds鈥攂oth capable of displaying self-control through delayed gratification鈥攂ehave very differently around their favorite food when they have company.

crow are capable of delaying gratification for a better reward, and we expected both species would wait for the higher-quality, preferred reward when alone and potentially with a non-competitor bird present, but would choose the lower-quality, immediate reward when a competitor was present, as waiting could risk them losing out.

"Interestingly, we found that jays were highly flexible in their use of delayed gratification, and this was entirely influenced by the presence of other birds, but the crows consistently chose the better, delayed reward, regardless of rival birds being present.

"These findings add to our understanding of self-control and the factors influencing delayed gratification in animals, which may relate to a particular species' social tolerance and levels of competition.

"New Caledonian crows tend to be more sociable and tolerant of others than Eurasian jays, and while both hide food for later use, jays rely more on this tactic for their survival. This might explain why the more territorial jays altered their choosing strategy when competitors were present and selected the immediate, less preferred food to avoid missing out entirely."