Primate Numerical Competence

IBN 9321090 Boysen 语言、数字和其他一些认知能力一直被认为是人类独有的，但最近对动物行为的研究揭示了一些令人惊讶的相似之处。 为了了解我们的祖先是如何以及为什么发展出这些能力的，重要的是要找出这些能力在动物王国中的广泛程度，并了解这些能力在拥有它们的动物的自然生活中扮演什么角色。 为研究动物的这些能力而开发的程序已被用于训练脑损伤和发育障碍的人。 博伊森博士成功地研究了黑猩猩的数字能力。 现在，她将探索卷尾猴与数字相关的技能，其程序与她以前对黑猩猩计数的工作类似。 众所周知，卷尾猴在自然栖息地使用工具，如岩石磅坚果，直到它们打开并坚持提取汁液和昆虫。 由于这种专业知识，卷尾猴是探索复杂概念能力的绝佳候选人，如计数和其他与数字相关的技能。 猴子的训练和测试将使用计算机触摸框架系统完成，该系统将允许它们直接对计算机屏幕做出反应，自动记录所有数据。 每只猴子首先会被训练将一个、两个或三个标记与一组相同数量的糖果相匹配。 一旦猴子能做到这一点，标记将被替换为阿拉伯数字，猴子必须选择与糖果数量相对应的数字。 数字理解也将通过在计算机显示器上向猴子显示一个数字并让它选择由相同数量的项目组成的数组来测试。 这些训练阶段与博伊森博士早期对黑猩猩的研究直接平行，因此将允许将猴子和猿的能力与幼儿的数字能力和计算能力的出现进行直接比较。

IBN 9321090 Boysen Linguistic, numerical, and some other cognitive capacities have long been believed to be uniquely human, but recent studies of animal behavior have revealed some surprising parallels. In order to understand how and why our ancestors developed these capacities, it is important to find out how widespread such abilities are in the animal kingdom and to learn what roles these abilities play in the natural lives of the animals that have them. Procedures developed for studying these abilities in animals have been put to use in the training of people with brain injuries and developmental disabilities. Dr. Boysen has been successfully studying numerical capacities of chimpanzees. Now she will explore number-related skills of capuchin monkeys with procedures that parallel her previous work on counting by chimpanzees. Capuchins are known to use tools in their natural habitat, such as rocks to pound nuts until they open and sticks to extract sap and insects. Because of this demonstrated expertise, capuchins are excellent candidates for exploring complex conceptual abilities such as counting and other number-related skills. The monkeys' training and testing will be completed using a computer touch-frame system that will permit them to make responses directly to a computer screen, automatically recording all data. Each monkey will first be trained on matching one, two, or three marks to an array of the same number of candies. Once the monkey can do that, the marks will be replaced with Arabic numerals, and the monkey must select the numeral that corresponds to the number of candies presented. Number comprehension will also be tested by showing the monkey a numeral on the computer monitor and having it choose an array composed of the same number of items. These phases of training directly parallel Dr. Boysen's earlier studies with chimpanzees, and thus will permit a direct comparison of the abilities of monkeys and apes with the emergence of numerical competence and cou nting in young children.