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Comparing rapid rule-learning strategies in humans and monkeys
Vishwa Goudar1, Jeong-Woo Kim1, Yue Liu1
1Center for Neural Science, New York University, NY, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|January 30, 2023
Summary
Macaque monkeys and humans use similar cognitive strategies for rule inference, but monkeys are significantly slower. Differences in attention, exploration, and feedback sensitivity explain monkeys' underperformance on cognitive tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Comparative Psychology
Background:
- Understanding human cognition relies on animal models.
- The Wisconsin Card Sort Test assesses cognitive flexibility and rule inference.
Approach:
- Compared macaque monkey and human performance on a Wisconsin Card Sort Test analogue.
- Utilized computational modeling to analyze decision-making strategies.
Key Points:
- Monkeys rapidly infer rules but are three times slower than humans.
- Both species exhibit feature-based attention and Win-stay lose-shift strategies.
- Monkeys underperform due to perseveration, random exploration, and poor negative feedback sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Macaque monkeys share core cognitive inference mechanisms with humans.
- Behavioral differences highlight specific limitations in primate cognitive flexibility.
