title: Searching beneath the shelf in macaque monkeys: evidence for a gravity bias or a foraging bias?
abstract: The reasons underpinning search biases in 2 species of macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta and Macaca arctoides) were explored over the course of 3 experiments requiring monkeys to search for a hidden food reward. The results reveal that monkeys are adept at exploiting perceptual cues to locate a food reward but are unable to use physical constraints such as solidity as cues to the reward's location. Monkeys prefer to search for a food reward beneath a solid shelf, not because they have an expectation that the reward should be there, but rather because, in the absence of usable cues, this bias emerges as a default search option. It is hypothesized that this bias may have its roots in a history of competition for food resources.
authors.affiliation: University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, UK. v.southgate@bbk.ac.uk
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Southgate
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gomez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003210:Concept Formation; D003463:Cues; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006112:Gravitation; D008251:Macaca / Q000523:psychology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009949:Orientation; D012201:Reward; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior