Abstract
We investigated whether tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) learn from others’ mistakes. We prepared three kinds of transparent containers having the same appearance: one that could be opened by the lid, one that could be opened from the bottom, and one that could be opened either way. Using each of the first two one-way-open type containers, the monkeys were trained to copy the human demonstrator’s action to open the container and obtain a piece of sweet potato contained therein. After this training, the demonstrator showed the monkeys an action that would open or fail to open the third, two-way-open type container. None of the monkeys reliably opened the container by spontaneously compensating for the demonstrator’s failure (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, the same subjects were trained to correct their own mistakes immediately after failure, before we introduced the same test as in Experiment 1. This experience did not result in subjects using the demonstrator’s failure to produce a successful action. In Experiment 3, we placed two monkeys face to face. In this situation, the second monkey was presented with the container after the first monkey failed to open it. As a result, two capuchin monkeys capitalized on the partner’s failure to correctly guide his/her behavior. Thus, the monkeys monitored not only the outcome of the others’ action, but also that action per se. This result suggests that not only humans and apes, but also monkeys may understand the meaning of others’ actions in social learning.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society of the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for Young Scientists to the first author and by the JSPS Grants-in-Aide for Scientific Research Nos. 13410026 and 17300085 to the third author. We thank Dr. James R. Anderson for his editing of and many suggestive comments on the earlier versions of the manuscript. The experiments complied with the Guide for the care and use of laboratory primates, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto
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Kuroshima, H., Kuwahata, H. & Fujita, K. Learning from others’ mistakes in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). Anim Cogn 11, 599–609 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-008-0150-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-008-0150-7