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Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems

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Comment on "Orthographic processing in baboons (Papio papio)".

William Bains¹

¹SENS Laboratory, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge University, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QT, UK. wab35@cam.ac.uk

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|September 8, 2012

Summary

Baboons can distinguish real words from nonwords. This ability may stem from recognizing letter positions rather than letter pair frequencies.

Area of Science:

Primate cognition
Animal behavior
Linguistic processing

Background:

Previous research suggested baboons discriminate words using two-letter (bigram) frequencies.
The precise mechanisms underlying non-human word recognition remain an active area of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate alternative explanations for word recognition in baboons.
To determine if letter position recognition, rather than bigram frequency, explains word discrimination.

Main Methods:

Analysis of baboon word recognition capabilities.
Comparison of bigram frequency models versus positional letter recognition models.

Main Results:

Baboons' ability to discriminate words from nonwords can be explained by recognizing specific letters in fixed positions.

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This positional recognition occurs independently of two-letter (bigram) frequencies.

Conclusions:

Baboon word recognition may rely on positional letter cues.
This challenges the exclusive reliance on bigram frequency as the sole mechanism for word discrimination in this species.