Archived Abstracts
When and how well can human-socialized capuchins match actions demonstrated by a familiar human?
Authors: Dorothy M. Fragaszy, Bertrand Deputte, Elizabeth Johnson Cooper, Erin N. Colbert-White, and Claire Hemery.
Monkeys have provided only glimmers of matching actions demonstrated by humans, in contrast to great apes. But, unlike the monkeys in these prior studies, the apes that have succeeded at matching actions have had a strong emotional relationship with humans, and many were reared by humans. To provide a more appropriate comparison of behavioral matching between apes and monkeys, we tested three human-reared capuchin monkeys. While each monkey faced an array of objects set out on a table, a familiar human demonstrated to it a fixed set of familiar actions, some incorporating one or more objects, over repeated sessions. The monkeys were more likely to manipulate particular objects touched by the human than others. They produced the demonstrated actions at a low rate, and only when these involved acting with an object, not actions on the body or gestures. After extensive practice with demonstrations of familiar actions, one monkey observed demonstrations of novel actions mixed in with familiar actions. This monkey did not match the novel actions. We conclude that human rearing did not substantively alter capuchins’ ability or interest in matching the actions of a familiar human. Apes do have an advantage over monkeys in the realm of matching actions demonstrated by a human.
Link to full abstract. To view full article, you must have a subscription to the journal.