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The cost of limited attention in blue jays
Journal article

The cost of limited attention in blue jays

Abstract

Experiments with fish and birds suggest that animals are unable to simultaneously allocate sufficient attention to tasks such as the detection of an approaching predator while searching for cryptic prey. We quantified the effects of limited attention on performance in controlled laboratory settings and report here the first direct evidence that attending to a difficult central task simulating foraging deters a bird's ability to detect a peripheral target, which could be a predator. Our results fill a gap between ecological and neurobiological studies by illustrating that, although attention is an efficient filtering mechanism, limited attention may be a major cause of mortality in nature.

Authors

Dukas R; Kamil AC

Journal

Behavioral Ecology, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 502–506

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Publication Date

September 1, 2000

DOI

10.1093/beheco/11.5.502

ISSN

1045-2249

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