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Comparison of delayed matching-to-sample performance in monkeys and children
John J Chelonis1, Andrew R Cox2, Michael J Karr3
1Division of Neurotoxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, FDA, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Arkansas Children's Hospital, United States.
Behavioural Processes
|January 21, 2014
Summary
Memory forgetting rates in children decrease with age. Monkey forgetting rates are similar to young children, suggesting shared memory mechanisms across species.
Area of Science:
- Comparative Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Memory accuracy declines with increasing delay across tasks.
- Limited research quantifies human developmental forgetting rates or compares them to non-human primates.
- Understanding forgetting mechanisms is crucial for cognitive development and comparative cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare forgetting rates between human children and rhesus monkeys.
- To investigate the roles of proactive interference and attention in memory decay.
- To quantify the relationship between memory delay and accuracy across development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task with 1125 children (4-14 years) and 10 adult rhesus monkeys.
- A modified power function was used to model forgetting rates.
- Response latencies were analyzed to infer attention levels.
Main Results:
- A modified power function accurately modeled forgetting data for both species.
- Forgetting rates in children decreased significantly with age.
- Monkeys exhibited forgetting rates comparable to younger children, with similar attention levels and minimal proactive interference effects.
Conclusions:
- Forgetting rates in rhesus monkeys share significant similarities with those of younger children.
- The underlying mechanisms of memory decay appear conserved between monkeys and young children.
- Proactive interference and attention levels suggest parallels in cognitive processes across these species.
