Abstract
Nonhuman primates appear to capitalize more effectively on visual cues than corresponding auditory versions. For example, studies of inferential reasoning have shown that monkeys and apes readily respond to seeing that food is present (“positive” cuing) or absent (“negative” cuing). Performance is markedly less effective with auditory cues, with many subjects failing to use this input. Extending recent work, we tested eight captive tufted capuchins (Cebus apella) in locating food using positive and negative cues in visual and auditory domains. The monkeys chose between two opaque cups to receive food contained in one of them. Cup contents were either shown or shaken, providing location cues from both cups, positive cues only from the baited cup, or negative cues from the empty cup. As in previous work, subjects readily used both positive and negative visual cues to secure reward. However, auditory outcomes were both similar to and different from those of earlier studies. Specifically, all subjects came to exploit positive auditory cues, but none responded to negative versions. The animals were also clearly different in visual versus auditory performance. Results indicate that a significant proportion of capuchins may be able to use positive auditory cues, with experience and learning likely playing a critical role. These findings raise the possibility that experience may be significant in visually based performance in this task as well, and highlight that coming to grips with evident differences between visual versus auditory processing may be important for understanding primate cognition more generally.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Sarah Hunsberger, Betty Chan, Dan Rice, and John Kelley for expert care of the animals. Four anonymous reviewers provided insightful comments on an earlier version of this work. The studies were supported by Grant HD-38051 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with additional support from the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience under the STC Program of the National Science Foundation under Agreement No. IBN-9876754. Lisa A. Heimbauer was a Research Challenges in Language and Literacy Fellow and Duane M. Rumbaugh Fellow, while Rebecca L. Antworth was a Brains & Behavior Fellow. Experiments were conducted in accordance with applicable laws and regulations of the United States and the state of Georgia, including compliance with institutional animal care and use guidelines at Georgia State University. The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.
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Heimbauer, L.A., Antworth, R.L. & Owren, M.J. Capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) use positive, but not negative, auditory cues to infer food location. Anim Cogn 15, 45–55 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0430-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0430-5