Conceptual thresholds for same and different in old-(Macaca mulatta) and new-world (Cebus apella) monkeys.
Learning of the relational same/different (S/D) concept has been demonstrated to be largely dependent upon stimulus sets containing more than two items for pigeons and old-world monkeys. Stimulus arrays containing several images for use in same/different discrimination procures (e.g. 16 identical images vs. 16 nonidentical images) have been shown to facilitate and even be necessary for learning of relational concepts (Flemming et al., 2007; Wasserman et al., 2001; Young et al., 1997). In the present study, we investigate the threshold at which a new world primate, the capuchin (Cebus apella) may be able to make such a discrimination. Utilizing a method of increasing entropy, rather than conventional procedures of decreasing entropy, we demonstrate unique evidence that capuchin monkeys are readily capable of making 2-item relational S/D conditional discriminations. In another experiment, we examine the supposed level of difficulty in making S/D discriminations by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Whereas pigeons (Columba livia) and baboons (Papio papio) have shown marked difficulty simultaneously discriminating same from different arrays at all when composed of fewer than 8 items each, rhesus monkeys seem to understand that pairs of stimuli connote sameness and difference just the same (Flemming et al., 2007). With sustained accurate performance of 2-item S/D discriminations, both experienced and task-naïve rhesus monkeys appear quite certain in their conceptual knowledge of same and different. We conclude that learning of the same/different relational concept may be less dependent upon high levels of entropy contrast than originally hypothesized for nonhuman primates.
Department of Psychology, Language Research Center Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5010, Atlanta, GA 30302-5010, United States. timothy.flemming@gmail.com
Timothy M
TM
Flemming
D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning; D001288:Attention; D002428:Cebus / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003118:Color Perception; D003210:Concept Formation; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D007600:Judgment; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013045:Species Specificity; D014163:Transfer, Psychology
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2001 Oct;27(4):316-28
11676083
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2010 Apr;36(2):184-93
20384399
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2011 Jul;37(3):353-60
21574737
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2002 Oct;28(4):347-57
12395492
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2007 Jan;33(1):55-63
17227195
J Exp Psychol Gen. 2002 Mar;131(1):131-43
11900100
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1997 Oct;23(4):491-501
9335136
Behav Res Methods. 2008 May;40(2):590-6
18522071
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2001 Jan;27(1):278-93
11204103
J Comp Psychol. 2004 Dec;118(4):403-12
15584777
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1997 Apr;23(2):157-70
9095540
Anim Cogn. 2001 Nov;4(3-4):163-70
24777506
J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1973 Jul;84(1):140-8
4717546
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2010 Jan;36(1):3-22
20141313
Psychon Bull Rev. 2007 Oct;14(5):805-22
18087944
Anim Cogn. 2003 Jun;6(2):77-86
12687418
Behav Processes. 1995 Dec;35(1-3):149-61
24896027
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1995 Jul;21(3):248-52
7602259
J Comp Psychol. 1984 Dec;98(4):405-13
6210175
Cognition. 1998 Jan;65(2-3):231-62
9557384
Contemp Top Lab Anim Sci. 1992 Nov;31(6):11-5
11538192
Learn Behav. 2005 Feb;33(1):67-77
15971494
Behav Processes. 2006 Jun 1;72(3):234-54
16621333
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2003 Jul;29(3):184-98
12884678