CURRENT ADVANCES IN PRIMATE COGNITION

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1 WORKSHOP CURRENT ADVANCES IN PRIMATE COGNITION October 19 th, 2010 Mairie de Rousset-sur-ArC IFR Sciences du Cerveau et de la Cognition

2 WORKSHOP MAIRIE DE ROUSSET SUR ARC CURRENT ADVANCES IN PRIMATE COGNITION 8.30 : Breakfast October 19 th, :00 Workshop opening and welcome from Mr Canal (Rousset-sur-Arc city mayor). Perception and memory 9.15 Carole Parron: Theories of object recognition in monkeys: behavioral evidence 9.40 Carlo de Lillo: The spatial organisation of working memory and vision in primates Josep Call: Memory and planning in the great apes Reasoning and abstraction Elisabetta Visalberghi : Field experiments with wild bearded capuchin monkeys using stone tools Valentina Truppa : Same/different concept learning in matching-to-sample tasks by capuchin monkeys Timothy M. Flemming : An analogical paradox for nonhuman primates: Bridging the perceptual-conceptual gap : Lunch - restaurant «Les Bannettes», Rousset : Visit of Joël Fagot s Laboratory and CNRS Primatology center Social behavior 16:00. Friederike Range: Similarities and differences in gaze following abilities in different species 16:25. James R. Anderson: Third-party social evaluation of humans by capuchin monkeys 17:50. Ludwig Huber: Attentional and developmental factors of social learning in common marmosets : Concluding remarks by Patrick Lemaire 2

3 Perception and memory Theories of object recognition in monkeys: behavioral evidence Carole Parron, Joël Fagot Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS, Université de Provence, Marseille The ability of non human primates to process pictures has been widely studied across many experiments (e.g. Sackett, 1966 ; Schrier & Brady, 1987; Jitsumori, 1994). However, we still don t know what kind of information is used by the monkeys to perform object recognition. This fundamental question has been studied in humans and has led to two theories of object recognition: one theory based on the structural description of the object (Biederman, 1987); and the other based on the point of view of the observer (Tarr & Pinker, 1990). Several experiments were conducted to test whether monkeys would use information of structure (shape, edges, as claimed in the first theory), or rather information of surface (texture, shadow, light illumination, as claimed by the second theory). In the first study, five macaques (Macaca mulatta) were trained to discriminate 4 simple volumetric objects (geons) and were subsequently tested for their ability to recognize line drawings, silhouettes, and light changes of these geons. Performance was above chance in all test conditions and was similarly high for the line drawings and silhouettes of geons, suggesting the use of the outline shape to recognize the original objects. In addition, transfer for the geons seen under new lighting was greater than for the other stimuli, stressing the importance of the shading information. In the second experiment, five expert baboons and five naïve baboons (Papio papio) were tested following the same procedure as in the first experiment in order to assess if prior experience with two-dimensional representations affects object recognition and, in particular, the use of physical cues. In conclusion, our findings support a surface-based theory of object recognition in monkeys, although they do not exclude the contribution of edge cues, especially when surface details are not available. 3

4 The spatial organisation of working memory and vision in primates Carlo De Lillo Visual spatial cognition laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Leicester, UK On the basis of results of several studies carried in humans and in non-human primates, the view will be presented that a powerful dimension for comparative analyses is the relative ability of different species to take into account the spatial constraints of the material to be recalled or perceived. In both areas, intriguing results emerge which would require further investigations in order to fully understand their cognitive bases. Some original results will be presented based on an analysis of search patterns within a clustered set of locations performed by monkeys, rats and children. Some of the limitations of search and foraging tasks will then be discussed and a line of enquiry based on serial spatial recall of items presented in spatially structured arrays on touch screens will be introduced. Similarity in span and response times and differences in the ability to benefit from structural properties of the to-be recalled material will be discussed. In the working memory domain, it is possible to speculate about the possible brain areas and functions which may underpin the pattern of interspecies similarities and differences observed so far. Theoretical explanations of the observed differences in visual perception are more difficult to put forward on the basis of existing behavioural data and current knowledge about the pertinent brain areas of different species. The extent to which it is possible that similar principles apply to both cognitive domains will be discussed. 4

5 Memory and planning in the great apes Josep Call Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. Retrieving stored information either from working memory or long-term memory is an essential component of planning abilities. In fact some authors have argued that certain types of memory like episodic memory and mental time travel have evolved not just to recall information but to assist organisms to solve current that they face or future problems that they may encounter. Although there has been much research devoted to both memory and planning skills in the great apes, there has not been a concerted effort to investigate them together. In this talk, I will present recent data on memory and planning to solve future, rather than current, goals in the great apes. 5

6 Reasoning and Abstraction Field experiments with wild bearded capuchin monkeys using stone tools Elisabetta Visalberghi Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of CNR, Rome, Italy Wild capuchin monkeys living in Fazenda Boa Vista (Piauí, Brazil; a dry forest habitat) use hammers and anvils to crack open nuts, and then eat the nutritious kernels. The kernels are very difficult to crack because they have a thick, tough shell and stones suitable as hammers are very rare in the habitat where capuchins live. These monkeys crack nuts throughout the year using proportionally large stones (on average, 1 kg; an adult monkey weighs kg). We observed the cracking activities of two groups of capuchin monkeys and performed several experiment with one of them. We demonstrated selectivity in capuchins choice of stones, nuts, and anvil sites challenging the notion that this feature is restricted to wild chimpanzees. Stone tool use by capuchin monkeys opens up a new reference point for thinking about tool use across species and across evolutionary time. 6

7 Same/different concept learning in matching-to-sample tasks by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) Valentina Truppa Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of CNR, Rome, Italy This study aimed at evaluating the capacity of tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) to acquire abstract same and different concepts and use them to solve matching-tosample (MTS) tasks involving relations of increasing level of abstraction. Six capuchins were required to choose which stimulus between two comparison ones matched a stimulus presented as sample. In Phase 1, Identity Matching-to-Sample (Id-MTS) tasks were used to evaluate the capuchins ability to discriminate between individual items on the basis of the physical features of the stimuli. In Phase 2, Relational Matching-to-Sample (RMTS) tasks were used to assess the extent to which capuchins were able to judge the relation (either same or different) between the items in a sample display and select the comparison display in which the items had the same relation. The use of abstract concepts, both in Id-MTS and RMTS, was inferred from the subject s ability to transfer to novel stimuli. Results showed that capuchins ability to judge physical equivalence (Id-MTS) and to transfer to novel stimuli was strongly increased by the number of stimuli used during training. Moreover, capuchins ability to judge relational similarity (RMTS) was positively affected by the increase of both the stimulus-set size and the number of items featuring the stimuli. These findings extend previous ones in identifying aspects of the task that are critical for abstract concept learning in monkeys. 7

8 An analogical paradox for nonhuman primates: Bridging the perceptualconceptual gap Timothy M. Flemming Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS, Université de Provence, Marseille, France Over the past few decades, the dominant view by comparative psychologists of analogical reasoning in nonhuman primates was one of dichotomy between apes, including humans, and monkeys: the distinction between the analogical ape and paleological monkey (Thompson & Oden, 2000). Whereas evidence for analogy proper by representation reinterpretation in monkeys is sparse and debated, the gap between that which is analogic and paleologic has been narrowed by the studies presented here. Representation of relational concepts important for analogy proves difficult for rhesus and capuchin monkeys without the ability to rely on a greater amount of perceptual variability, implicating a perceptually-bound predisposition in problem-solving. A shift in attention from perceptual features to abstract concepts for employment in relational matching is again difficult, but not impossible given cognitive incentive in the form of differential outcomes to refocus attention on conceptual properties. Finally, chimpanzees unlike monkeys appear more apt to reason by analogy, perhaps due to a more default conceptual focus. Taken together, these studies provide an account for the emergence of analogical reasoning skills throughout the primate lineage in contrast to views regarding analogy a hallmark of human intelligence. 8

9 Social Behavior Similarities and differences in gaze following abilities in different species Friederike Range & Zsofia Viranyi Department of Neurobiology and Cognition, University of Vienna, Austria The ability to coordinate with others head and eye orientation to look in the same direction is considered a key step towards an understanding of others mental states like attention and intention. In the field of animal cognition, three different paradigms are distinguished to investigate gaze following abilities: 1) follow another s gaze into distant space, 2) follow another s gaze geometrically around a visual barrier e.g. they reposition themselves to follow a gaze cue when faced with a barrier blocking their view and 3) following gaze and selecting the target of other s gaze in object choice tasks. Interestingly, whether or not subjects of specific species follow the gaze depends on which of the three paradigms are used, which might indicate different underlying cognitive mechanism. In this talk, I will discuss gaze following abilities in the three paradigms using a comparative framework including primates, corvids and canines. 9

10 Third-party social evaluation of humans by capuchin monkeys James R. Anderson Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, UK It is advantageous to identify individuals who are likely to offer us help or support and those who are not. We base such discriminations not only on direct interactions with other individuals, but also on their interactions with others. Social evaluation based on thirdparty interactions may emerge early in human infancy. Many animals behave differently toward humans who treat them nicely and those who do not, but the extent of their social evaluation of humans based on third-party interactions is unknown. Capuchin monkeys are described as having a tolerant social disposition, propensity for cooperation and foodsharing, prosocial behaviour, and possible aversion to inequality. Across a series of four experiments capuchins discriminated between humans who behaved helpfully toward others and those who did not. Specifically, monkeys were less likely to accept food from someone who previously refused a request for help. The effect was robust across conditions, and tightly linked to explicit refusal to help. This is the first demonstration of social evaluation by nonhuman primates in which the third-party interaction has no direct relevance to the observer. 10

11 Attentional and developmental factors of social learning in common marmosets Ludwig Huber Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in studying imitation, mainly because it has been considered as the cognitively most advanced form of social learning in animals. However, from a functional point of view, other kinds of social learning are perhaps equally important; for instance when learning where to find food or what items are palatable from others. Using common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) we studied these social learning processes both in the field and the laboratory. We found convincing evidence of social facilitation and local/stimulus enhancement in the foraging behaviour of wild individuals. This occurred especially frequently in the third and fourth month of life, demonstrating a special developmental pattern of the propensity for social learning. In a laboratory experiment we recently showed the importance of visual perspective and the opportunity to interact with the model for local and stimulus enhancement to occur. This suggests that these processes are far from being automatic and ubiquitous. 11

12 Nous adressons nos remerciements aux divers organismes qui ont permis l organisation de ce workshop : - La Communauté du Pays d Aix - La mairie de la ville de Marseille - Le Conseil Régional Provence-Alpes-Côtes d Azur - La mairie de la ville de Rousset - Le Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive de l Université de Provence et le Centre national de la recherche Scientifique - La station de primatologie de Rousset-sur-Arc - L IFR des Sciences du Cerveau et de la Cognition IFR Sciences du Cerveau et de la Cognition 12