The description-experience gap in risky choice in nonhuman primates

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Economics
• Comparative Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Human risk attitudes differ based on gamble presentation (description vs. experience).
• This 'description-experience gap' highlights the role of knowledge acquisition in decision-making.
• The gap's reliance on human-specific cognitive abilities, like language, is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether nonhuman animals exhibit a description-experience gap in risk attitudes.
• To determine if this gap is dependent on uniquely human cognitive abilities.

Main Methods:

• Rhesus monkeys performed a novel task involving described and experienced gambles.
• Gamble properties were either explicitly cued (described) or learned through prior choices (experienced).
• Risk-seeking behavior was assessed across a range of gamble probabilities (20%-80%).

Main Results:

• Rhesus monkeys displayed a significant description-experience gap.
• Monkeys were consistently more risk-seeking for experienced gambles compared to described gambles.
• This effect was consistent across various gamble probabilities.

Conclusions:

• The description-experience gap in risk attitudes is not limited to humans and does not rely on language-dependent cognitive abilities.
• These findings suggest that influences of knowledge on risk-taking are evolutionarily ancient.
• The study supports a broader, evolutionarily conserved basis for decision-making under uncertainty.