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Task preparation in macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

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Abstract

We investigated whether macaque monkeys possess the ability to prepare abstract tasks in advance. We trained two monkeys to use different stimulus-response (S-R) mappings. On each trial, monkeys were first informed with a visual cue which of two S-R mapping to use. Following a delay, a visual target was presented to which they would respond with a left or right button-press. We manipulated delay time between cue and target and found that performance was faster and more accurate with longer delays, suggesting that monkeys used the delay time to prepare each task in advance.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the NIH, the EJLB foundation, and the Otto-Hahn Fellowship of the Max-Planck-Society. Use of animals complied with all relevant laws and was approved by the Washington University School of Medicine IACUC Committee.

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  1. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave., Box 8108, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA

    Gijsbert Stoet & Lawrence H. Snyder

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  1. Gijsbert Stoet
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  2. Lawrence H. Snyder
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Correspondence to Gijsbert Stoet.

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Stoet, G., Snyder, L.H. Task preparation in macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Anim Cogn 6, 121–130 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-003-0170-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-003-0170-2

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