Fishes tasks

Tasks are not only arithmetic. The fruit-grower, for example, estimates, where and that to plant; the monkey decides a problem, how to obtain a banana. The scientists set, that the decision of tasks submitted to psychological zakonomernostyam, just as the luminescence of bulb submits to the laws of physics. Paths of decision of tasks child's and pedagogical psychology studies by schoolboys, by animals — animal psychology, in particular, by fishes — ihtiopsihologiya (from Greek «ihtio» — fishes).
One of tasks for the aquarium fishes was by the following:
Motilya, trubochnika was placed in jar which suspended in the layer of water in the middle aquarium. Hungry fish saw a forage through glass and, to obtain it, must have emerged above jar, to perch in it, and then find a return. This very difficult task for the inhabitants of aquarium. The first responses about that, as aquarium fishes decided this task, acted from Vladimir Shikalova from the Kirova city, Denis Voloshina from Novokuznetska, Helen Akimovoy from Kharkov, Vovi Makarova from Kuybisheva, Tani Vasilenko from Zaporozhia and some other
boys. Here as described its P supervisions. Shevtsova: «At me the family of gurami lives in aquarium: father, mother and 4 young fish... I dropped a transparent teacup with trubochnikom on height 7 centimetres from surface. Pisces was poked by noses in glass. Finally same little gurami swam in in cup from above and eate a worm, after it — mother and the greatest from children. After them the father and the most little young fish which then tickled a father simultaneously swam in, and that, striking by tail, threw out a half of forage and sailed» away.
Vladimir Shikalov conducted the very interesting supervisions above the mixed covey from 3 shibunkinov, 2 gurami, 5 barbusov, 2 sheat-fishes and 3 mechenostsev. On its supervisions, quick than all decide a task with the jar of gurami and shibunkini, and barbusi generally renounced it to decide: do not want to eat from jar! Fishes what still, on your supervisions, do renounce to decide this task?
The boys put in letters questions a lot of, on some of them answer today, on other — next time. In one of experiments, for example, motil swam out from jar and floated on all aquarium. This happened because motil is very sensible to the oxygen dissolved in water. When oxygen small, it swims out upstairs. To satiate water by oxygen, it is necessary to multiply aeratsiyu, to strengthen blowing out by air. Ask, when to feed fishes. Pisces senior to feed three months enough one time in day. Better nearer to evening, when come from school or after walk. Time per a week it is necessary to them to arrange a «unloading day» — generally not to feed. In the foreign zoos, for example, feed fishes, except for fries and molodi, 3 time per a week: on Mondays, environments and Saturdays.
Ann Sheptyakova asks, how to conduct the supervisions, if fishes (neons, guppi and other) got used to the dry forage, and to living are not taught. In this case also it is possible to think of the tasks and conduct the supervisions. The edges of floating feeding trough turn transparent tape loppy on 5 centimetres in water. Now fish can not straight swim up to the forage: tape prevents. Fish must «guess» to go down downward (to move from forage away), to swim up under tape and then already rise to the feeding trough.
At making of experimental feeding trough with the polyethylene «skirt» it does not follow to use for fastening vodostoykiy glue. Separate its components dissolve in the aquarium water. It deteriorates, and fishes can perish. Best of all to sew a polyethylene down by the synthetic filament. Ordinary, from slamming, does not fit, it quickly rots.
From the polyethylene food package cut out for skirt a rectangle there are more of perimeter of feeding trough long on two centimetres, and shirinoy no less than 12 centimetres. Turn a feeding trough prepared detail and sew down it on perimeter, and then ssheyte free edges of skirt. Bind the ends of filaments together, if they alongside, or tie by the true-love knot to the nearest stitch.
Put a feeding trough into water by skirt downward slowly, that the polyethylene did not emerge and not smyalsya. Then straighten by the line of edge and corners. Nasipte in the feeding trough ordinary portion of dry forage. If fishes are hungry, they will begin to search for motion to the forage. Proceed to the supervisions, periodically writing down them in magazine.
That from the supervisions it was possible to do the grounded outputs, divide them on the following series and proceed to the experiments.
1. In aquarium will start about four fishes of one kind and age (four-five months, other variants are possible also). This can be guppi, mechenostsi, skalyarii, goldfishes or gurami. At first feed them with the dry forage from the ordinary floating feeding trough measuring 14Х 9 centimetres, done from the bent glass pipe. When experimental will get used to such food, substitute a feeding trough by experimental. In the diary of supervisions write down, what motions were made by fishes. How many time it was demanded to them on the decision of task? How many times for one feeding they did swim in and did swim out from the feeding trough? What changes in the conduct of inhabitants of aquarium did look after during the month of the continuous use by the experimental feeding trough? Describe the conduct of every fish individually. Task of this series — to set the stages of forming of skills of the use by the experimental feeding trough.
2. Compare the features in forming of the given skills of inhabitants of aquarium of different families, births and kinds. Form a covey from the kinds compatible with each other. Take on four fishes of every type of one age (4— 6 months). Will walk up guppi, gurami, mechenostsi, tetra goldish and barbus sumatranskiy. Notice time, when the task was decided in the first times. What fishes did operate independently and regardless of conduct of other fishes? There were cases of imitation and who to who did imitate? Whether the conduct of some fishes under influencing of covey did change? Describe the cases, when those or other kinds renounced to decide a task, preferring «starvation».
3. In the raznovozrastnuyu flock of one kind will plug no less than two fishes (male and female) of the following ages: 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 or 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 months. Such interval enables expressly to distinguish on sizes age of every fish. Conduct the supervisions from two about six weeks. For this series of experiments are comfortable peaceful, well and quickly propagating guppi oneself, gurami, mechenostsi, other fishes. Before beginning of supervisions will teach fishes to the dry forage from the ordinary floating feeding trough. Little round for the experiment do not fit. Describe the conduct of fishes in covey. Whether the hierarchy at the head with fugleman is present in it? Maybe, every fish does live in aquarium on itself? Who first does begin to decide a task and does find the correct decision? Who decides independently, and who prefers to imitate to the elders or more lucky, who is more apt at the decision of tasks: males or females? How pass the stages of development of skill of the use by the experimental feeding trough at the separate fishes in covey on comparison from the individual conduct.
4. This series of supervisions looks like on previous. But the flock is formed from fishes of different kinds: guppi, gurami, mechenostsi — on 2 things, their age — 4, 6, 8 and 10 months. It is possible to choose also other combinations of compatible kinds, other age groups, but desirably with interval no less than 2 months. These fishes must not participate in the previous experiments: they all in a few days of acclimatization in aquarium first will become acquainted with the experimental feeding trough. The tasks of supervisions are the same, that and in the previous series. In addition, it is desirable to answer on question: whether the specific (characteristic for the conduct of fishes of one kind) differences do not appear in the decision of task in connection with the conduct of raznovidovoy covey on the whole?
5. Distinctions of supervisions of fourth and fifth series consist that in one case the flock of fishes is formed approximately identical sizes (length of body, width), and in other — different sizes, for example, guppi, gurami, skalyarii, barbusi and goldfishes in age 4—8 months.
6. Whether there is at fish memory? To check up this, it is necessary to continue any from the preceding series of supervisions conducted by you. When fishes will have to be steady skill of the use by the experimental feeding trough (in 4—6 weeks), begin to alternate an experimental feeding trough with usual the same size and color. At first the feeding troughs substitute by one day, then on two, three, gradually leading to an interval of about three months. Each time mark, what changes in the decision of task appear at fishes: whether there is forgetting and then renewal of skill or fish does decide a task anew, as though never before with it did not meet?

A. MENYAEV
candidate of pedagogical sciences