Object and spatial representations in detour problems by chicks.

Two-day-old chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, were tested in a detour situation requiring them to abandon a clear view of a desired goal (a small red object on which they had been imprinted) in order to achieve that goal. The chicks were placed in a closed corridor, at one end of which was a barrier with a small window through which the goal was visible. Two symmetrical apertures placed midline to the corridor allowed the chicks to adopt routes passing around the barrier. After entering the apertures, chicks showed searching behaviour for the goal and appeared able to localize it, turning either right or left depending on their previous direction of turn. Thus, in the absence of any local orienting cues emanating from the goal, chicks were aware of the existence of an object that was no longer visible and could represent its spatial localization in egocentric coordinates. © 1995.