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Asymmetric perception of radial expansion/contraction in Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) infants

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Abstract

Visual radial expansion/contraction motion provides important visual information that is used to control several adaptive actions. We investigated radial motion perception in infant Japanese macaque monkeys using an experimental procedure previously developed for human infants. We found that the infant monkeys’ visual preference for the radial expansion pattern was greater than that for the radial contraction pattern. This trend towards an “expansion bias” is similar to that observed in human infants. These results suggest that asymmetrical radial motion processing is a basic visual function common to primates, and that it emerges early in life.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Cooperative Research Program of the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University (2006-C-30, 2007-B-28, 2008-C-21, 2009-A-2-8). The authors were financially supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from JSPS/MEXT (16002001, 19300091, 20002001, and 21830042) and JSPS/MEXT global COE programmes (D07 and A06).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku Niigata-city, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Nobu Shirai

  2. Department of Comparative Study of Cognitive Development (funded by Benesse Corporation), Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama-city, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

    Tomoko Imura

  3. Language and Intelligence Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama-city, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

    Yuko Hattori, Ikuma Adachi & Masaki Tomonaga

  4. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Yuko Hattori

  5. Department of Psychology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-ohsawa, Hachiohji-city, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan

    Shigeru Ichihara

  6. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Integrated Art and Social Sciences, Japan Women’s University, 1-1-1 Nishi-ikuta, Tama-ku Kawasaki-city, Kanagawa, 214-8565, Japan

    So Kanazawa

  7. Department of Psychology, Chuo University, 742-1 Higashinakano, Hachiohji-city, Tokyo, 192-0393, Japan

    Masami K. Yamaguchi

  8. Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan

    Masami K. Yamaguchi

Authors
  1. Nobu Shirai
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  2. Tomoko Imura
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  3. Yuko Hattori
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  4. Ikuma Adachi
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  5. Shigeru Ichihara
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  6. So Kanazawa
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  7. Masami K. Yamaguchi
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  8. Masaki Tomonaga
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Correspondence to Nobu Shirai.

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Shirai, N., Imura, T., Hattori, Y. et al. Asymmetric perception of radial expansion/contraction in Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) infants. Exp Brain Res 202, 319–325 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-2136-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-2136-3

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