“Targets” are the suction cups with hooks that can be seen at the left, right, and middle of the experimentation tank above.

“Hit” : a fish pecking (with contact) a target.

“FIELD EXPERIMENT” = Magnetic Field Direction Detection Experiment

“COLOR TRAINING = training fish to associate colors with targets for Metacognition Experiment

TRAINING PROCEDURE for FIELD EXPERIMENT and for COLOR

9 GOLDFISH IN TANK

1. Turn off filter (waterfall)

2. Turn on field (current = 2 amps) / color

a) Field current = 2 amps

b) Color: Lights off. Color displayed using tape on cell phone flashlight placed back middle under tank

3. Put piece of banana with 15 pellets embedded in it on correct target hook

4. Wait 30 minutes, then remove field, then banana, then turn on filter

Field direction randomized (by online randomizer)

Was: 3 right, 2 left, 2 right, 1 left

Then I made 2 left for equal number, both sides.

Magnetic Field Strength Calculation:

B = µ₀ * N * I / L

Loops: 20

Current:2 amps

Length (from leftmost wire to rightmost wire): 0.655

B = 7.674*10^-5 T

Earth magnetic field (ambient field):

B = 5.148*10^-5 T

https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/calculators/magcalc.shtml#igrfwmm

http://www.calctool.org/CALC/phys/electromagnetism/solenoid

Tank rotated so that Earth's magnetic field at 90 degrees relative to Generated Field:

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

1. Turn off filter (waterfall)

2. Turn on field (current = 2 amps)

3. 60 seconds of data collection

4. After data collection, drop sinking pellets by target (for added training)

Data collection Field direction randomized (by online randomizer)

Was: 2 right, 1 left, 2 right, 1 left, 1 right

Then I made 3 left for equal number, both sides

METACOGNITION - Pilot Study - procedure

only one fish (because needed reward rather than conditioning training)

My proposed formal structure of the metacognition experiment (modeled after study of rat metacognition) is:

1. An animal is tested/known to have preference A>B>C

(where C could be no reward and B less of the same type of reward as A, e.g. A= 10 pellets of food, B = 6 pellets of food, C = no food).

2. The animal learns that:

• its behavior Bx following stimulus X leads to A, and

• its behavior By following stimulus Y leads to A, but that

• Bx following Y leads only to C, and

• By following X leads only to C.

• It behavior Bb always leads only to B (regardless of stimulus)

3. There is a stimulus range Z between stimulus X and stimulus Y (which is the same type of stimulus but not clearly X and not clearly Y) such that:

• given Z, it cannot be determined whether A or C will follow Bx or By

• As range Z is approached, although the stimulus is definitely more X or more Y, it becomes more difficult for the animal to determine whether the stimulus is more X or more Y

Hypothesis: If animal is aware of likelihood it will hit correct target, as difficulty hitting correct target is increased, animal will increasingly behave in way Bb.

Null Hypothesis: If animal is not aware of likelihood it will hit correct target, as difficulty hitting correct target is increased, animal will not increasingly behave in way Bb

Idea: make correct target increasingly indeterminate.

TEST: Does fish hit target for lesser reward more often as correct target is increasingly indeterminate?

Colors: Colors presented from red to blue and 3 colors in between

Colors were created by coloring pieces of scotch tape red and blue with sharpie markers, then layering as follows:

1. 1 piece: red

2. 3 pieces: red red blue

3. 2 pieces: red blue

4. 3 pieces: red blue blue

5. 1 piece: blue

The tape was then placed over the flashlight of my cell phone.

TRAINING - 12 times:

1. Left filter on (waterfall) - (makes fish more active for more data)

2. Lights off. Color displayed using tape on cell phone flashlight placed back middle under tank

3. Rewards:

   1. If hits correct target first: drop 3 sinking pellets on target

   2. If hits incorrect (opposite) target first: no pellets

   3. If hits middle target: piece of zucchini put on middle target hook

Red- right target

Blue - left target

Color randomized (by online randomizer)

Was: 1 blue, 1 red, 3 blue, 4 red, 2 blue

Then I made 1 red for equal number, both sides.

(No intermediate colors during training)

DATA COLLECTION:

1. Left filter on (waterfall)

2. Lights off. Color displayed using tape on cell phone flashlight placed back middle under tank

3. Recorded hits on target for 5 minutes.