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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Published on: January 7, 2019

Face recognition in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Jennifer J Pokorny¹, Frans B M de Waal

¹Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Reserach Center, Emory University, 954 N. Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. jpokorn@emory.edu

Journal of Comparative Psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)

|May 20, 2009

Summary

Capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) can recognize the faces of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics. This study demonstrates their ability to discriminate individual identities from 2D facial images.

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Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

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Area of Science:

Primate cognition
Comparative psychology
Facial recognition in animals

Background:

Social primates rely on individual recognition for complex interactions.
Facial recognition is crucial for distinguishing familiar and unfamiliar individuals in humans.
Previous research suggests various primate species can recognize conspecific faces.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if capuchins (Cebus apella), a New World primate, can discriminate conspecific faces based on identity.
To assess capuchin ability to recognize both familiar and unfamiliar individuals from 2D facial images.
To refine methodologies for studying primate facial recognition.

Main Methods:

Utilized a computerized oddity task to assess facial discrimination.
Presented capuchins with 2D images of conspecific faces.
Employed a performance criterion and novel image transfer to rule out prior conditioning.

Main Results:

Capuchins successfully discriminated between conspecific faces.
Subjects demonstrated recognition of both familiar and unfamiliar individuals.
Rapid transfer to novel images indicated genuine recognition rather than associative learning.

Conclusions:

Capuchins possess the ability to recognize individual conspecifics from 2D facial images.
This finding supports the broader capacity for facial recognition across diverse primate species.
The study contributes to understanding the evolution of visual social cognition in primates.