Recognition of covert objects and events : Comparative and developmental approaches

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This project aimed at understanding how recognition of physical and social environments has evolved by analyzing recognition of covert objects and events in diverse nonhuman species from comparative and developmental perspectives. Major findings follow : 1.Perceptual processes : (1)Tufted capuchin monkeys completed contours and internal textures of partly occluded objects following the same principles as humans would do. (2)Contrastingly, pigeons never completed despite a variety of experimental operations along shape, ecological significance, motion, form of completed contour, etc. of the objects. (3)Pigeons perceived a regular Muller-Lyer illusion but not the reversed illusion which humans would perceive when the arrowheads are separated from the target line. There found considerable differences in fundamental perceptual processing among species. 2.Social cognition and social intelligence : (1)Dogs, horses, Japanese monkeys, and squirrel monkeys were shown to recall corresponding vis … More ual images upon hearing the voices of social agents. These animals seem to conceptually recognize social agents by integrating information from multiple sensory modalities. (2)Capuchin monkeys were experimentally shown to take apparently deceptive actions whey they competed with each other for food. (3)Capuchins learned to find food by following the advice of the person who looked into the food cup. They understand that looking leads to knowing. (4)Capuchins spontaneously cooperated when they had to divide a sequence of actions between two participants. This cooperation continued when only one of the participants received food at a time. A rudimentary form of reciprocal altruism was shown. Thus New World monkeys were demonstrated to have excellent social intelligence. 3.Physical intelligence and inference : (1)Vervet monkeys were shown to conduct a rudimentary subtraction in a food-searching task. (2)Capuchins were shown to recognize the spatial relationship among food, a tool, and the obstacle and to choose the option leading to easier access to food. Less