title: Baboons (Papio papio), but not humans, break cognitive set in a visuomotor task.
abstract: Cognitive set can be both helpful and harmful in problem solving. A large set of similar problems may be solved mechanically by applying a single-solution method. However, efficiency might be sacrificed if a better solution exists and is overlooked. Despite half a century of research on cognitive set, there have been no attempts to investigate whether it occurs in nonhuman species. The current study utilized a nonverbal, computer task to compare cognitive set between 104 humans and 15 baboons (Papio papio). A substantial difference was found between humans' and baboons' abilities to break cognitive set. Consistent with previous studies, the majority of humans were highly impaired by set, yet baboons were almost completely unaffected. Analysis of the human data revealed that children (aged 7-10) were significantly better able to break set than adolescents (11-18) and adults (19-68). Both the evolutionary and developmental implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. spope11@student.gsu.edu.|Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, UMR7290 CNRS and Federation 3C, 3 Place Victor Hugo, Bât 9, Case C, 13331, Marseille Cedex 3, France. spope11@student.gsu.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, UMR7290 CNRS and Federation 3C, 3 Place Victor Hugo, Bât 9, Case C, 13331, Marseille Cedex 3, France.|Brain and Language Research Institute, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Adrien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meguerditchian
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.|Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, UMR7290 CNRS and Federation 3C, 3 Place Victor Hugo, Bât 9, Case C, 13331, Marseille Cedex 3, France. joel.fagot@univ-amu.f.|Brain and Language Research Institute, Marseille, France. joel.fagot@univ-amu.f.
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fagot
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D048531:Papio papio / Q000523:psychology*; D011340:Problem Solving
keywords: Baboons; Cognitive set; Comparative; Einstellung; Problem solving; Strategies