Eye use in search is determined by the nature of task in the domestic chick (Gallus gallus)

In Experiments 1-3 chicks were trained to find, using both eyes, food cover ed by a cap, using wide-angle search so as to involve lateral and frontal v isual fields, with either local or positional cues, or both, identifying th e baited site. At test they used right, left or both eyes (RE, LE, Bin). Wh en both types of cue were relevant, LE made greater use of positional cues than the other two groups, as has been previously found, whereas RE made gr eater use of local (colour) cues. However, when only one type of cue was re levant, RE and LE were equally able to use positional or local cues. Right/ left differences emerge when RE and LE can be used in different ways during training. In Experiments 4-5 Bin chicks were shown to turn preferentially to the right during wide-angle search, when relying on local, and to the le ft when relying on positional cues. In search, parallel processing of RE an d LE inputs appears to allow competition which is usually won by the eye sy stem more suited to the task, which then initiates targeting to objects whi ch are visible to its eye. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.