Dissociation of item and source memory in rhesus monkeys

Preserved visual memory and relational cognition performance in monkeys with selective hippocampal lesions

The theory that the hippocampus is critical for visual memory and relational cognition has been challenged by discovery of more spared hippocampal tissue than previously reported in H.M., previously unreported extra-hippocampal damage in developmental amnesiacs, and findings that the hippocampus is unnecessary for object-in-context memory in monkeys. These challenges highlight the need for causal tests of hippocampal function in nonhuman primate models. Here, we tested rhesus monkeys on a battery of cognitive tasks including transitive inference, temporal order memory, shape recall, source memory, and image recognition. Contrary to predictions, we observed no robust impairments in memory or relational cognition either within- or between-groups following hippocampal damage. These results caution against over-generalizing from human correlational studies or rodent experimental studies, compel a new generation of nonhuman primate studies, and indicate that we should reassess the relative contributions of the hippocampus proper compared to other regions in visual memory and relational cognition.

Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) learn two-choice discriminations under displaced reinforcement

To explain animal learning, researchers invoke a dominant associative construct. In contrast, researchers freely acknowledge humans' explicit-declarative learning capacity. Here, we stretched animals' learning performance toward the explicit pole of cognition. We tested four macaques (Macaca mulatta) in new discrimination-learning paradigms. Monkeys learned a series of two-choice discrimination tasks. But immediate reinforcement was denied. Instead, reinforcement was lagged-monkeys received feedback for trial N only after seeing and responding to the N + 1-trial stimulus. Theory suggests that lagged reinforcement will eliminate a dominant form of implicit discrimination learning. Yet monkeys still learned successfully. Thus, monkeys may have alternative learning algorithms usable when reinforcement is displaced and reinforcement learning undermined. This learning may, as in humans, take a more explicit form. This and related methods that disable associative learning-fostering a possible transition to explicit cognition-could have empirical utility and theoretical significance within comparative psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Cuttlefish retrieve whether they smelt or saw a previously encountered item

According to the Source Monitoring Framework, the origin of a memory is remembered through the retrieval of specific features (e.g. perceptive, sensitive, affective signals). In two source discrimination tasks, we studied the ability of cuttlefish to remember the modality in which an item had been presented several hours ago. In Experiment 1, cuttlefish were able to retrieve the modality of presentation of a crab (visual vs olfactory) sensed before 1 h and 3 hrs delays. In Experiment 2, cuttlefish were trained to retrieve the modality of the presentation of fish, shrimp, and crabs. After training, cuttlefish performed the task with another item never encountered before (e.g. mussel). The cuttlefish successfully passed transfer tests with and without a delay of 3 hrs. This study is the first to show the ability to discriminate between two sensory modalities (i.e. see vs smell) in an animal. Taken together, these results suggest that cuttlefish can retrieve perceptual features of a previous event, namely whether they had seen or smelled an item.

Nonverbal Working Memory for Novel Images in Rhesus Monkeys

Human working memory is greatly facilitated by linguistic representations-for example, by verbal rehearsal and by verbal recoding of novel stimuli. The absence of language in nonhumans raises questions about the extent to which nonhuman working memory includes similar mechanisms. There is strong evidence for rehearsal-like active maintenance in working memory when monkeys are tested with highly familiar stimuli, but not when tested with novel stimuli, suggesting that working memory depends on the existence of previously encoded representations. This difference in working memory for familiar and novel images may exist because, lacking language, monkeys cannot recode novel stimuli in a way that permits active maintenance in working memory. Alternatively, working memory for novel images may have been present, but behaviorally silent, in earlier studies. In tests with novel images, the high familiarity of to-be-remembered stimuli compared to never-before-seen distractors may be such a strong determinant of recognition performance that evidence of working memory is obscured. In the current study, we developed a technique for attenuating the utility of relative familiarity as a mnemonic signal in recognition tests with novel stimuli. In tests with novel images, we observed impairments of memory by concurrent cognitive load and delay interval that indicate actively maintained working memory. This flexibility in monkey working memory suggests that monkeys may recode unfamiliar stimuli to facilitate working memory and establishes new parallels between verbal human working memory and nonverbal nonhuman primate working memory.

Monkey Memory: Rehearsal Emerges for Novel Images When Familiarity Cues Fade

It was thought that, when monkeys use familiarity cues to aid recognition memory, they do not engage working memory. A new study shows that, when the value of those familiarity cues is attenuated, monkeys rehearse novel images like familiar ones, a striking parallel with human working memory.

Nonnavigational spatial memory performance is unaffected by hippocampal damage in monkeys

Evidence that the hippocampus is critical for spatial memory in nonnavigational tests is mixed. A recent study reported that temporary hippocampal inactivation impaired spatial memory in the nonnavigational Hamilton Search Task in monkeys. However, several studies have documented no impairment on other nonnavigational spatial memory tests following permanent hippocampal lesions. It was hypothesized that transient, but not permanent, hippocampal disruption produces deficits because monkeys undergoing transient inactivation continue to try to use a hippocampal-dependent strategy, whereas monkeys with permanent lesions use a nonhippocampal-dependent strategy. We evaluated this hypothesis by testing five rhesus monkeys with hippocampal lesions and five controls on a computerized analogue of the Hamilton Search Task. On each trial, monkeys saw an array of squares on a touchscreen, each of which "hid" one reward. Retrieving a reward depleted that location and monkeys continued selecting squares until they found all rewards. The optimal strategy is to remember chosen locations and choose each square once. Unlike the inactivation study, monkeys with hippocampal damage were as accurate as controls regardless of retention interval. Critically, we found no evidence that the groups used different strategies, as measured by learning rates, spatial search biases, perseverative win-stay errors, or inter-choice distance. This discrepancy between the effect of inactivations and lesions may result from off-target effects of inactivations or as-yet-unidentified differences between the physical and computerized tasks. Combined with previous evidence that hippocampal damage impairs navigational memory in monkeys, this evidence constrains the role of the hippocampus in spatial memory as being critical for navigational tests that likely involve allocentric spatial memory but not nonnavigational tests that likely involve egocentric spatial memory.

Rhesus monkeys metacognitively monitor memories of the order of events

Human working memory is a capacity- and duration-limited system in which retention and manipulation of information is subject to metacognitive monitoring and control. At least some nonhuman animals appear to also monitor and control the contents of working memory, but only relatively simple cases where animals monitor or control the presence or absence of single memories have been studied. Here we combine a comparatively complex order memory task with methodology that assesses the capacity to introspect about memory. Monkeys observed sequential presentations of five images, and at test, reported which of two images from the list had appeared first during study. Concurrently, they chose to complete or avoid these tests on a trial-by-trial basis. Monkeys "knew when they knew" the correct response. They were less accurate discriminating images that had appeared close in time to one another during study and were more likely to avoid these difficult tests than they were to avoid easier tests. These results indicate that monkeys can metacognitively monitor relatively complex properties of the contents of working memory, including the quality of representations of temporal relations among images.

Comparative Cognition: Rats Pay Back Quid Pro Quo

Humans engage in exchanges of commodities or services, often paying back a commodity with a different service. New research suggests that rats can reciprocally trade food for allogrooming, and vice versa.

Studying primate cognition in a social setting to improve validity and welfare: a literature review highlighting successful approaches

BACKGROUND

Studying animal cognition in a social setting is associated with practical and statistical challenges. However, conducting cognitive research without disturbing species-typical social groups can increase ecological validity, minimize distress, and improve animal welfare. Here, we review the existing literature on cognitive research run with primates in a social setting in order to determine how widespread such testing is and highlight approaches that may guide future research planning.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Using Google Scholar to search the terms "primate" "cognition" "experiment" and "social group," we conducted a systematic literature search covering 16 years (2000-2015 inclusive). We then conducted two supplemental searches within each journal that contained a publication meeting our criteria in the original search, using the terms "primate" and "playback" in one search and the terms "primate" "cognition" and "social group" in the second. The results were used to assess how frequently nonhuman primate cognition has been studied in a social setting (>3 individuals), to gain perspective on the species and topics that have been studied, and to extract successful approaches for social testing.

RESULTS

Our search revealed 248 unique publications in 43 journals encompassing 71 species. The absolute number of publications has increased over years, suggesting viable strategies for studying cognition in social settings. While a wide range of species were studied they were not equally represented, with 19% of the publications reporting data for chimpanzees. Field sites were the most common environment for experiments run in social groups of primates, accounting for more than half of the results. Approaches to mitigating the practical and statistical challenges were identified.

DISCUSSION

This analysis has revealed that the study of primate cognition in a social setting is increasing and taking place across a range of environments. This literature review calls attention to examples that may provide valuable models for researchers wishing to overcome potential practical and statistical challenges to studying cognition in a social setting, ultimately increasing validity and improving the welfare of the primates we study.