Brightness preference in nocturnal and diurnal South American monkeys

In a test situation where choice was not tied to reinforcement, both squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus) consistently chose to view the more luminant of a pair of lights. Over a two log unit range of luminance, the degree of preference in both species for the brighter of two lights was found to depend on their difference in luminance and not on their actual luminances.