title: Moving evidence into practice: cost analysis and assessment of macaques' sustained behavioral engagement with videogames and foraging devices.
abstract: Environmental enrichment plans for captive nonhuman primates often include provision of foraging devices. The rationale for using foraging devices is to promote species-typical activity patterns that encourage physical engagement and provide multi-sensory stimulation. However, these devices have been shown to be ineffective at sustaining manipulation over long periods of time, and often produce minimal cognitive engagement. Here we use an evidence-based approach to directly compare the amount of object-directed behavior with a foraging device and a computer-based videogame system. We recorded 11 adult male rhesus monkeys' interactions with a foraging device and two tasks within a joystick videogame cognitive test battery. Both techniques successfully produced high levels of engagement during the initial 20 min of observation. After 1 hr the monkeys manipulated the foraging device significantly less than the joystick, F(2,10) = 43.93, P < 0.0001. Subsequent testing showed that the monkeys engaged in videogame play for the majority of a 5 hr period, provided that they received a 94 mg chow pellet upon successful completion of trials. Using a model approach, we developed previously as a basis for standardized cost:benefit analysis to inform facility decisions, we calculated the comprehensive cost of incorporating a videogame system as an enrichment strategy. The videogame system has a higher initial cost compared to widely-used foraging devices, however, the ongoing labor and supply costs are relatively low. Our findings add to two decades of empirical studies by a number of laboratories that have demonstrated the successful use of videogame-based systems to promote sustained non-social cognitive engagement for macaques. The broader significance of the work lies in the application of a systematic approach to compare and contrast enrichment strategies and encourage evidence-based decision making when choosing an enrichment strategy in a manner that promotes meaningful cognitive enrichment to the animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. Allyson.J.Bennett@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Allyson J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Chaney M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Parker D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Tenpas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Alma L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Reinebach
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Services Unit, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pierre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D018910:Video Games
keywords: animal welfare; occupational enrichment; primate; refinement; video-joystick