Assessing Symmetry by Comparing the Acquisition of Symmetric and Nonsymmetric Conditional Relations in a Capuchin Monkey

Filho, Paulo S. D. Soares; Silva, Álvaro Júnior Melo e; Velasco, Saulo Missiaggia; Barros, Romariz S.; Tomanari, Gerson Yukio

doi:10.21500/20112084.2320

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In Campos et al (2011), four pigeons showed evidence for symmetry in a simultaneous successive discrimination procedure, but follow‐up tests (Campos et al, 2015) showed that those results could be explained by primary stimulus generalization for all but one pigeon. Finally, the better performance on symmetry relative to nonsymmetry trials in Soares Filho et al (2016) could be a result of stimulus discriminability, which was not tested in that study. These studies underscore the need to conduct stimulus control analyses on observed emergent performances to confirm a true positive finding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Soares Filho et al (2016) conducted a systematic replication of Velasco et al (2010) in one capuchin monkey. There were four training phases: AB training followed by BA testing in which relations consistent with symmetry were reinforced and CD training followed by DC testing in which relations inconsistent with symmetry were reinforced.…”

Section: Developments Since 2007mentioning

confidence: 99%

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An update on the search for symmetry in nonhumans

Lionello-Denolf

2020

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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Sidman et al.'s (1982) failure to find evidence for symmetry (bidirectional associations between stimuli) in monkeys and baboons set the stage for decades of work on emergent relations in nonhumans. They attributed the failure to the use of procedures that did not (1) promote stimulus control based on the relation between the sample and correct comparison and (2) reduce control by irrelevant stimulus features. Previous reviews of symmetry in nonhumans indicated that multiple exemplar training and successive matching might encourage appropriate stimulus control. This review examined 16 studies that investigated symmetry in 94 subjects, including pigeons, rats, capuchin monkeys, and baboons. Several studies used alternative training procedures to minimize sources of irrelevant stimulus control, and many combined multiple exemplar training with other procedural modifications. Symmetry was observed in approximately 30% of subjects. Studies that reported the strongest evidence for symmetry used successive matching‐to‐sample procedures that included training on both symbolic and identity relations, and studies finding mixed evidence employed alternative methods. These studies highlight the challenge in creating training procedures that promote symmetry and the need to assess the underlying sources of control on positive demonstrations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Developments Since 2007mentioning

confidence: 99%

An update on the search for symmetry in nonhumans

Lionello-Denolf

2020

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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“…It turns out that three studies using only A-B training, and the alternative testing approach of transfer effects, did find weak evidence for symmetry in pigeons (Hogan & Zentall, 1977) or capuchin monkeys (D'Amato et al, 1985;Soares Filho et al, 2016). The strategy used to reveal bidirectionality was to train participants with two or more A-B pairings, and subsequently have them learn reversed pairings that were either consistent (B1-A1, B2-A2, etc.…”

Section: Transfer Effects In Conditional Matching-to-sample (Cmts) St...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, stimulus preference may have accounted for the results. Last, Soares-Filho et al (2016) trained one capuchin monkey on two pairings tested with consistent reversals, then on two new pairings tested with inconsistent reversals. A difference in learning length for reversed pairings suggested symmetry; however, no control was provided for the possibility that inconsistent pairings were intrinsically harder to learn than consistent ones (e.g., due to stimulus choice), nor for an effect of condition order (e.g., the second test may take longer simply due to boredom).…”

Section: Transfer Effects In Conditional Matching-to-sample (Cmts) St...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous learning of directional and non-directional stimulus relations in baboons (Papio papio)

Chartier

Fagot

2022

Learn Behav

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SummaryWhile humans exposed to a sequential stimulus pairing A-B are commonly assumed to form a bidirectional mental relation between A and B, evidence that non-human animals can do so is limited. Careful examination of the animal literature suggests possible improvements in the test procedures used to probe such effects, notably measuring transfer effects on the learning of B-A pairings, rather than direct recall of A upon cuing with B. We developed such an experimental design and tested 20 Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Two pairings of visual shapes were trained (A1-B1, A2-B2) and testing was conducted in a reversed order, either with conserved pairings (B1-A1, B2-A2) or broken ones (B1-A2, B2-A1). We found baboons’ immediate test performance to be above chance level for conserved pairings and below chance level for broken ones. Moreover, baboons needed less trials to learn conserved pairings compared to broken ones. These effects were apparent for both pairings on average, and separately for the best learned pairing. Baboons’ responding on B-A trials was thus influenced by their previous A-B training. Performance level at the onset of testing, however, suggests that baboons did not respond in full accordance with the hypothesis of bidirectionality. To account for these data, we suggest that two competing types of relations were concomitantly encoded: a directional relation between A and B, which retains the sequential order experienced, and a non-directional relation, which retains only the co-occurrence of events, not their temporal order.

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“…The idea that multiple exemplar training with symmetry relations might be necessary for animals to show emergent symmetry may seem a plausible account for the human–animal differences, as human children are naturally exposed to such training in infancy. However, a number of studies have failed to show consistent emergent symmetry even after providing multiple exemplar training in a variety of nonhuman species including chimpanzees (Dugdale & Lowe, 2000; Yamamoto & Asano, 1995), capuchin monkeys (Brino et al, 2014), pigeons (Gomez et al, 2014; Lionello‐DeNolf & Urcuioli, 2002; Navarro & Wasserman, 2020; Soares Filho et al, 2016; Velasco et al, 2010), and rats (Bruce et al, 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional equivalence classes in rats: Repeated olfactory discrimination reversals and delayed stimulus probes

Galizio

Lawson

Shaw

et al. 2023

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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The simultaneous matching‐to‐sample procedures that are widely used to study stimulus equivalence in human participants have generally been unsuccessful in animals. However, functional equivalence classes have been demonstrated in pigeons and sea lions using a concurrent repeated reversal discrimination procedure. In this procedure, responding to one set of stimuli is reinforced but responding to a different set is not and the set associated with reinforcement is changed with multiple reversals during the experiment. The experiments reported here were designed to assess whether functional equivalence classes could be demonstrated in rats using similar techniques. Rats were initially trained with two sets of olfactory stimuli (six odors/set). Following many reversals, probe reversal sessions were conducted in which rats were exposed to a subset of the members of each set and, later in the session, the withheld stimuli were introduced. Responding to these delayed probe trials in accord with the reversed contingencies constituted transfer of function. There was some evidence of transfer in Experiment 1, but the effects were relatively weak and variable. Experiment 2 introduced procedural changes and found strong evidence of transfer of function consistent with the formation of functional equivalence classes. These procedures offer a promising strategy to study symbolic behavior in rodents.

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Assessing Symmetry by Comparing the Acquisition of Symmetric and Nonsymmetric Conditional Relations in a Capuchin Monkey

Cited by 6 publications

References 36 publications

An update on the search for symmetry in nonhumans

An update on the search for symmetry in nonhumans

Simultaneous learning of directional and non-directional stimulus relations in baboons (Papio papio)

Functional equivalence classes in rats: Repeated olfactory discrimination reversals and delayed stimulus probes

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