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Visual orienting and alerting in rhesus monkeys: comparison with humans
E A Witte1, M Villareal, R T Marrocco
1Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403, USA.
Behavioural Brain Research
|December 1, 1996
Summary
Rhesus monkeys and humans show similar attentional processing on a cued target detection task. However, species differ in how cognitive control over task initiation impacts reaction times, possibly due to training or brain anatomy.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Comparative Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Rhesus monkeys exhibit behavioral capacities comparable to humans in sensory and cognitive tasks.
- Evaluating attentional capacities is crucial for understanding cross-species cognitive similarities and differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare human and rhesus monkey performance on a visuospatial attentional task.
- To investigate species-specific responses to varying cognitive control over task initiation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the cued target detection (CTD) paradigm with valid, invalid, double, and no-cue trials.
- Manipulated trial onset timing (self-paced vs. computer-paced) to assess cognitive control.
- Measured reaction times, accuracy, and aborted trials across species.
Main Results:
- No significant species differences were observed in reaction time patterns or attentional dynamics across trial types.
- Humans showed increased reaction times on no-cue trials in computer-paced tasks, unlike monkeys.
- Monkeys exhibited faster overall reaction times in self-paced tasks, a difference not seen in humans.
Conclusions:
- Visuospatial attention mechanisms are highly conserved between humans and rhesus monkeys.
- Cognitive control and task initiation strategies differ between species.
- Performance variations may stem from differential training histories or anatomical distinctions in cortical organization, particularly the parietal lobe.