What perceptual rules do capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) follow in completing partly occluded figures?
Capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) matched a variety of rodlike figures, distinguishable only by their central portions. The monkeys were then tested for perceptual completion rules by examining which comparison figures they would choose as matching the sample with the critical central portion occluded by a horizontal belt. In Experiment 1, the monkeys overwhelmingly chose a straight rod over disconnected rods and rods having irregular shapes at their center, irrespective of the presence-absence of common motion of visible parts of the samples. The monkeys chose a connected rod for relatable rods and disconnected rods for non-relatable ones in Experiment 2. In Experiments 3 and 4, some of the monkeys chose rods specified by the global regularity of the contour, whereas others did not. Experiment 5 showed that humans and capuchin monkeys basically follow similar perceptual rules in completing occluded contours, but the global regularity rule may be stronger in humans.
Fujita
Kazuo
K
Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. kfujita@bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Giersch
Anne
A
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002428:Cebus / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*