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Baboons' response speed is biased by their moods
Yousri Marzouki1, Julie Gullstrand1, Annabelle Goujon1
1Aix-Marseille Université & Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France.
Plos One
|July 26, 2014
Summary
Moods influence performance in baboons, similar to humans. Negative moods slow down task completion, suggesting a universal adaptive mechanism affecting cognitive processing across species.
Area of Science:
- Comparative psychology
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Primate behavior
Background:
- The affect-as-information hypothesis suggests mood valence impacts environmental detail processing.
- Previous research focused on humans using mood induction and complex tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the affect-as-information hypothesis in nonhuman primates.
- To investigate if spontaneous moods affect performance on automated tasks.
Main Methods:
- Six baboons (Papio papio) performed an over-trained computerized visual search task.
- Reaction times (RTs) were analyzed following spontaneously expressed emotional behaviors.
Main Results:
- RTs were slower following negatively valenced behaviors compared to neutral or positive behaviors.
- Mood valence significantly affected task performance in baboons.
Conclusions:
- Moods influence cognitive performance in nonhuman primates, even in highly automatized tasks.
- Findings suggest a universal mechanism where mood impacts performance across species and contexts.
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