WE AREN’T the only ones with a “work ethic”. Pigeons value hard-won rewards
more than freebies, say researchers in Kentucky. This indicates that
appreciating the fruits of our labour isn’t a particularly human virtue, they
say.
Thomas Zentall and Tricia Clement of the University of Kentucky in Lexington
trained pigeons to tap a button to get food. Sometimes they had to tap once,
after which the button turned red and a food reward was produced. On other
occasions, they had to tap 20 times before the button finally changed
colour—this time glowing green—and the treat was delivered.
Then…
