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Lab cognition going wild: Implementing a new portable touchscreen system in vervet monkeys.
Rachel A Harrison1,2, Tecla Mohr1,2,3, Erica van de Waal1,2,3
1Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|January 13, 2023
Summary
Touchscreen technology enables cognitive studies in wild vervet monkeys. Despite lower participation rates, wild primates demonstrated comparable learning abilities to sanctuary-housed individuals, validating this method for field research.
Area of Science:
- Primate cognition
- Animal behavior research
- Touchscreen technology applications
Background:
- Touchscreen technology offers controlled cognitive testing for captive animals.
- Its utility for studying wild primate cognition remains largely unexplored.
- Assessing wild primate engagement with technology is crucial for expanding research methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of using touchscreen technology for cognitive research in wild vervet monkeys.
- To compare participation rates between wild and sanctuary-housed vervets.
- To verify that wild vervets can perform touchscreen-based learning tasks.
Main Methods:
- A portable touchscreen device was presented to eight groups of vervet monkeys (four wild, four sanctuary; 240 individuals total).
- Researchers assessed interaction likelihood, participation frequency, and performance on an associative learning task.
- Food rewards were used to incentivize task engagement.
Main Results:
- Sanctuary-housed monkeys showed higher touchscreen interaction rates.
- Wild vervet participation was influenced by sex and age.
- No significant difference in associative learning task performance was observed between wild and sanctuary groups.
Conclusions:
- Touchscreen technology is viable for cognitive studies in wild primates.
- This method allows for the investigation of animal cognition under naturalistic conditions.
- While participation may be lower, sufficient sample sizes are achievable, and wild primates learn effectively.
