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Automated Quantification and Analysis of Cell Counting Procedures Using ImageJ Plugins
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The origins of counting algorithms.

Jessica F Cantlon1, Steven T Piantadosi2, Stephen Ferrigno2

  • 1Brain & Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester jcantlon@bcs.rochester.edu.

Psychological Science
|May 9, 2015
PubMed
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Monkeys show a proto-counting ability similar to humans, comparing quantities sequentially. This suggests an evolutionary precursor to human counting may exist in primate cognition.

Keywords:
animal cognitioncognitive developmentcountingmathematical cognitionnonhuman primate

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Animal Behavior
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Human counting is a unique cognitive ability with unknown evolutionary origins.
  • Understanding the precursors to counting is crucial for understanding human cognition's evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether nonhuman primates possess cognitive abilities similar to human counting.
  • To explore the evolutionary origins of counting algorithms.

Main Methods:

  • Monkeys were presented with two food caches, sequentially baited with food items.
  • A novel Bayesian analysis was used to analyze the monkeys' choices.
  • The study focused on monkeys' behavior when comparing approximate quantities.

Main Results:

  • Monkeys demonstrated an ability to compare quantities in sequence.
  • They spontaneously chose the second cache when it approximated the first, even if not fully baited.
  • The monkeys utilized an incremental, iterative, and condition-controlled approximate counting algorithm.

Conclusions:

  • Nonhuman primates exhibit a proto-counting algorithm structurally similar to human counting.
  • This finding suggests a potential evolutionary precursor to human counting in primate cognition.
  • The study sheds light on the evolutionary trajectory of numerical cognition.