This study aims to investigate (i) magnitude processing and (ii) intraindividual behavioral stability in magnitude preference in house crickets (Acheta domesticus) over time. Drawing from previous research on other invertebrates, including insects, we hypothesize that crickets can discriminate physical magnitudes similarly to vertebrate species (Lorenzi et al., 2021; Vallortigara et al., 2022). On the other hand, intraindividual behavioral stability in magnitude preference, which can be considered one of the dimensions of animals’ personality-like characteristics (Rádai et al., 2022), has never been studied either in insects overall or in crickets specifically. Here, we are interested in intraindividual behavioral stability in magnitude preference itself, as well as its relationship to the anxiety characteristics of animals (Albers & Reichert, 2022).
Given their ecological background and typical behavioral patterns, we expect that crickets will exhibit a preference for black stimulus with larger total surface areas (Adam et al., 2024; Bisazza & Gatto, 202; Lucon-Xiccato et al., 2023; Messina et al., 2020) over a black stimulus with a smaller surface area. By recording the strength of such possible preferences and tracking the stability of these behaviors within individuals, this study could provide insight into the presence and consistency of magnitude-based preferences over time in Acheta domesticus and other behavioral tendencies.
Raw data is available at Open Science Framework
Study status: data is currently being collected
