Evolution of cognition : comparative and developmental approaches

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project aimed to understand the evolution of cognitive functions of humans through phylogenetic and ontogenetic comparisons. Fujita analyzed the process of perceptual completion in pigeons and nonhuman primates. Rhesus and capuchin monkeys showed clear positive evidence for completion but pigeons were shown not to even recognize the continuity of a figure behind another. Fujita, Tomonaga, Ishikawa, and Kuwahata examined cognitive development of macaque monkeys. The results showed that recognition of biological motion was strongly affected by the experience to observe real motions, that recognition of face developed in a way similar to human infants, etc. Masuda, Kuroshima, and Fujita examined spontaneous deceptive behavior by capuchin monkeys to obtain mildly positive results for deception. Kuroshima and Fujita showed that capuchin monkeys were able to recognize the relationship between seeing and knowing. Anderson (Univ. of Stirling, U. K.), Awazu, and Fujita demonstrated that sq … More uirrel monkeys learned self-control to reach for smaller rewards to obtain larger rewards and that they maintained this behavior even after one year. Anderson, Kuroshima, Kuwahata, and Fujita showed that squirrel monkeys learned to deceive uncooperative trainers. Tsutsumi observed development of play behavior of mantled howler monkeys in Nicaragua. Kuwahata, Fujita, and Fagot (CNRS, France) showed that guinea baboons used eyes to discriminate familiar faces but this is true only in case when the eyes were embedded in the facial photographs. Awazu and Fujita demonstrated that pigeons actually ate items that they had learned as food in separate cognitive situations. Ueno investigated perception of odors by nonhuman primates and its ontogenetic change. Itakura analyzed the process of joint attention in human adults, human infants, and chimpanzees. Fagot and Tomonaga demonstrated that chimpanzees perceived subjective contours. Tomonaga studied recognition of face orientation using visual search tasks and recognition of relative numerical orders in chimpanzees. Less