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Fagot J, Marzouki Y, Huguet P, Gullstrand J, Claidière N. Assessment of social cognition in non-human primates using a network of computerized automated learning device (ALDM) test systems. J Vis Exp 2015:e52798. [PMID: 25992495 PMCID: PMC4541642 DOI: 10.3791/52798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Fagot & Paleressompoulle(1) and Fagot & Bonte(2) have published an automated learning device (ALDM) for the study of cognitive abilities of monkeys maintained in semi-free ranging conditions. Data accumulated during the last five years have consistently demonstrated the efficiency of this protocol to investigate individual/physical cognition in monkeys, and have further shown that this procedure reduces stress level during animal testing(3). This paper demonstrates that networks of ALDM can also be used to investigate different facets of social cognition and in-group expressed behaviors in monkeys, and describes three illustrative protocols developed for that purpose. The first study demonstrates how ethological assessments of social behavior and computerized assessments of cognitive performance could be integrated to investigate the effects of socially exhibited moods on the cognitive performance of individuals. The second study shows that batteries of ALDM running in parallel can provide unique information on the influence of the presence of others on task performance. Finally, the last study shows that networks of ALDM test units can also be used to study issues related to social transmission and cultural evolution. Combined together, these three studies demonstrate clearly that ALDM testing is a highly promising experimental tool for bridging the gap in the animal literature between research on individual cognition and research on social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joël Fagot
- CNRS, Federation 3C, and Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Aix-Marseille University;
| | - Yousri Marzouki
- CNRS, Federation 3C, and Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Aix-Marseille University
| | - Pascal Huguet
- CNRS, Federation 3C, and Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Aix-Marseille University
| | - Julie Gullstrand
- CNRS, Federation 3C, and Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Aix-Marseille University
| | - Nicolas Claidière
- CNRS, Federation 3C, and Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Aix-Marseille University
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Micheletta J, Whitehouse J, Parr LA, Marshman P, Engelhardt A, Waller BM. Familiar and unfamiliar face recognition in crested macaques (Macaca nigra). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:150109. [PMID: 26064665 PMCID: PMC4453246 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Many species use facial features to identify conspecifics, which is necessary to navigate a complex social environment. The fundamental mechanisms underlying face processing are starting to be well understood in a variety of primate species. However, most studies focus on a limited subset of species tested with unfamiliar faces. As well as limiting our understanding of how widely distributed across species these skills are, this also limits our understanding of how primates process faces of individuals they know, and whether social factors (e.g. dominance and social bonds) influence how readily they recognize others. In this study, socially housed crested macaques voluntarily participated in a series of computerized matching-to-sample tasks investigating their ability to discriminate (i) unfamiliar individuals and (ii) members of their own social group. The macaques performed above chance on all tasks. Familiar faces were not easier to discriminate than unfamiliar faces. However, the subjects were better at discriminating higher ranking familiar individuals, but not unfamiliar ones. This suggests that our subjects applied their knowledge of their dominance hierarchies to the pictorial representation of their group mates. Faces of high-ranking individuals garner more social attention, and therefore might be more deeply encoded than other individuals. Our results extend the study of face recognition to a novel species, and consequently provide valuable data for future comparative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Micheletta
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Jamie Whitehouse
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Lisa A. Parr
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Paul Marshman
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Antje Engelhardt
- Junior Research Group for Primate Sexual Selection, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Courant Research Centre for the Evolution of Social Behaviour, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bridget M. Waller
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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Dettmer AM, Murphy AM, Suomi SJ. Development of a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed mother-peer-reared infant rhesus monkeys. Dev Psychobiol 2015; 57:349-55. [PMID: 25782609 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Though cognitive testing of infant monkeys has been practiced for the past 40 years, these assessments have been limited primarily to nursery-reared infants due to the confounds of separating mother-reared infants for assessments. Here, we describe a pilot study in which we developed a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus macaques under 1 year of age (Macaca mulatta) that allowed the infants to freely return to their mothers for contact comfort. Infants aged 151.2 ± 18.3 days (mean ± SEM; n = 5) were trained and tested on an object detour reach task. Infants completed training in 5.0 ± 0.2 days, and completed testing in 6.2 ± 0.9 days. Across 4 days of testing, infants improved to nearly errorless performance (Friedman test: χ(2) = 13.27, df = 3, p = 0.004) and learned to do the task more quickly (Friedman test: χ(2) = 11.69, df = 3, p = 0.009). These are the first cognitive data in group-housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus monkeys under 1 year of age, and they underscore the utility of this apparatus for studying cognitive development in a normative population of infant monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Dettmer
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Poolesville, PO Box 529, MD, 20837
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Krasheninnikova A, Schneider JM. Testing problem-solving capacities: differences between individual testing and social group setting. Anim Cogn 2014; 17:1227-32. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0744-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Revised: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Silverman JL, Gastrell PT, Karras MN, Solomon M, Crawley JN. Cognitive abilities on transitive inference using a novel touchscreen technology for mice. Cereb Cortex 2013; 25:1133-42. [PMID: 24293564 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive abilities are impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia. Preclinical models with strong endophenotypes relevant to cognitive dysfunctions offer a valuable resource for therapeutic development. However, improved assays to test higher order cognition are needed. We employed touchscreen technology to design a complex transitive inference (TI) assay that requires cognitive flexibility and relational learning. C57BL/6J (B6) mice with good cognitive skills and BTBR T+tf/J (BTBR), a model of ASD with cognitive deficits, were evaluated in simple and complex touchscreen assays. Both B6 and BTBR acquired visual discrimination and reversal. BTBR displayed deficits on components of TI, when 4 stimuli pairs were interspersed, which required flexible integrated knowledge. BTBR displayed impairment on the A > E inference, analogous to the A > E deficit in ASD. B6 and BTBR mice both reached criterion on the B > D comparison, unlike the B > D impairment in schizophrenia. These results demonstrate that mice are capable of complex discriminations and higher order tasks using methods and equipment paralleling those used in humans. Our discovery that a mouse model of ASD displays a TI deficit similar to humans with ASD supports the use of the touchscreen technology for complex cognitive tasks in mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Silverman
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20892-3730, USA
| | - P T Gastrell
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20892-3730, USA
| | - M N Karras
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20892-3730, USA
| | - M Solomon
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA Imaging Research Center, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - J N Crawley
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20892-3730, USA
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Whitehouse J, Micheletta J, Powell LE, Bordier C, Waller BM. The impact of cognitive testing on the welfare of group housed primates. PLoS One 2013; 8:e78308. [PMID: 24223146 PMCID: PMC3819384 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Providing cognitive challenges to zoo-housed animals may provide enriching effects and subsequently enhance their welfare. Primates may benefit most from such challenges as they often face complex problems in their natural environment and can be observed to seek problem solving opportunities in captivity. However, the extent to which welfare benefits can be achieved through programmes developed primarily for cognitive research is unknown. We tested the impact of voluntary participation cognitive testing on the welfare of a socially housed group of crested macaques (Macaca nigra) at the Macaque Study Centre (Marwell Zoo). First, we compared the rate of self-directed and social behaviours on testing and non-testing days, and between conditions within testing days. Minimal differences in behaviour were found when comparing testing and non-testing days, suggesting that there was no negative impact on welfare as a result of cognitive testing. Lipsmacking behaviours were found to increase and aggressive interaction was found to decrease in the group as a result of testing. Second, social network analysis was used to assess the effect of testing on associations and interactions between individuals. The social networks showed that testing subjects increased their association with others during testing days. One interpretation of this finding could be that providing socially housed primates with an opportunity for individuals to separate from the group for short periods could help mimic natural patterns of sub-group formation and reunion in captivity. The findings suggest, therefore, that the welfare of captive primates can be improved through the use of cognitive testing in zoo environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Whitehouse
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Jérôme Micheletta
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Marwell Wildlife, Winchester, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren E. Powell
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Celia Bordier
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Bridget M. Waller
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Marwell Wildlife, Winchester, United Kingdom
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Ravignani A, Olivera VM, Gingras B, Hofer R, Hernández CR, Sonnweber RS, Fitch WT. Primate drum kit: a system for studying acoustic pattern production by non-human primates using acceleration and strain sensors. SENSORS 2013; 13:9790-820. [PMID: 23912427 PMCID: PMC3812580 DOI: 10.3390/s130809790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The possibility of achieving experimentally controlled, non-vocal acoustic production in non-human primates is a key step to enable the testing of a number of hypotheses on primate behavior and cognition. However, no device or solution is currently available, with the use of sensors in non-human animals being almost exclusively devoted to applications in food industry and animal surveillance. Specifically, no device exists which simultaneously allows: (i) spontaneous production of sound or music by non-human animals via object manipulation, (ii) systematical recording of data sensed from these movements, (iii) the possibility to alter the acoustic feedback properties of the object using remote control. We present two prototypes we developed for application with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) which, while fulfilling the aforementioned requirements, allow to arbitrarily associate sounds to physical object movements. The prototypes differ in sensing technology, costs, intended use and construction requirements. One prototype uses four piezoelectric elements embedded between layers of Plexiglas and foam. Strain data is sent to a computer running Python through an Arduino board. A second prototype consists in a modified Wii Remote contained in a gum toy. Acceleration data is sent via Bluetooth to a computer running Max/MSP. We successfully pilot tested the first device with a group of chimpanzees. We foresee using these devices for a range of cognitive experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse, 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria; E-Mails: (B.G.); (R.H.); (R.S.); (T.F.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: E-Mail: ; Tel.: +43-1-4277-76161; Fax: +43-1-4277-9761
| | - Vicente Matellán Olivera
- Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial e Informática, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; E-Mails: (V.M.); (C.R.)
| | - Bruno Gingras
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse, 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria; E-Mails: (B.G.); (R.H.); (R.S.); (T.F.)
| | - Riccardo Hofer
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse, 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria; E-Mails: (B.G.); (R.H.); (R.S.); (T.F.)
| | - Carlos Rodríguez Hernández
- Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial e Informática, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; E-Mails: (V.M.); (C.R.)
| | - Ruth-Sophie Sonnweber
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse, 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria; E-Mails: (B.G.); (R.H.); (R.S.); (T.F.)
| | - W. Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse, 14, Vienna A-1090, Austria; E-Mails: (B.G.); (R.H.); (R.S.); (T.F.)
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Willemet R. Reconsidering the evolution of brain, cognition, and behavior in birds and mammals. Front Psychol 2013; 4:396. [PMID: 23847570 PMCID: PMC3696912 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research, some of the most basic issues concerning the extraordinarily complex brains and behavior of birds and mammals, such as the factors responsible for the diversity of brain size and composition, are still unclear. This is partly due to a number of conceptual and methodological issues. Determining species and group differences in brain composition requires accounting for the presence of taxon-cerebrotypes and the use of precise statistical methods. The role of allometry in determining brain variables should be revised. In particular, bird and mammalian brains appear to have evolved in response to a variety of selective pressures influencing both brain size and composition. “Brain” and “cognition” are indeed meta-variables, made up of the variables that are ecologically relevant and evolutionarily selected. External indicators of species differences in cognition and behavior are limited by the complexity of these differences. Indeed, behavioral differences between species and individuals are caused by cognitive and affective components. Although intra-species variability forms the basis of species evolution, some of the mechanisms underlying individual differences in brain and behavior appear to differ from those between species. While many issues have persisted over the years because of a lack of appropriate data or methods to test them; several fallacies, particularly those related to the human brain, reflect scientists' preconceptions. The theoretical framework on the evolution of brain, cognition, and behavior in birds and mammals should be reconsidered with these biases in mind.
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