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An inversion effect modified by expertise in capuchin monkeys

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An Erratum to this article was published on 14 June 2011

Abstract

The face inversion effect may be defined as the general impairment in recognition that occurs when faces are rotated 180°. This phenomenon seems particularly strong for faces as opposed to other objects and is often used as a marker of a specialized face-processing mechanism. Four brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were tested on their ability to discriminate several classes of facial and non-facial stimuli presented in both their upright and inverted orientations in an oddity task. Results revealed significantly better performance on upright than inverted presentations of capuchin and human face stimuli, but not on chimpanzee faces or automobiles. These data support previous studies in humans and other primates suggesting that the inversion effect occurs for stimuli for which subjects have developed an expertise.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (IBN-0077706) to the senior author and the basegrant (RR-00165) of the National Institutes of Health to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. We thank Kristin Leimgruber for assistance, Nancy Bliwise for statistical assistance, and the animal care and veterinary staff of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center for maintaining the health of our study subjects. The Yerkes National Primate Research Center is fully accredited by the American Association for Accreditation for Laboratory Animal Care. We also thank three anonymous reviewers for their feedback and comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA

    Jennifer J. Pokorny, Christine E. Webb & Frans B. M. de Waal

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  1. Jennifer J. Pokorny
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  2. Christine E. Webb
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  3. Frans B. M. de Waal
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Correspondence to Jennifer J. Pokorny.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0427-0

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Pokorny, J.J., Webb, C.E. & de Waal, F.B.M. An inversion effect modified by expertise in capuchin monkeys. Anim Cogn 14, 839–846 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0417-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0417-2

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