Behavioral and Cognitive Research

Abstract

When trying to understand the behavior and cognition of nonhuman primates, researchers have to interpret the decision making of nonverbal species and quantify (indirect) behavioral responses as metrics for cognitive processes. The methods used to achieve this are as diverse as the topics primatologists study. Research with primates varies both in the location of study and in the manner in which the data are recorded. Observing primates in the wild enables evaluations of a species' natural behavioral repertoire and sheds light on how they respond to the ecology of their environment, while captive studies allow researchers to test the extent of a species' capacities and facilitates tightly controlled cross‐species comparisons. To develop a full picture most likely requires input from both wild and captive settings, and combining such data with robust analytical and modeling tools can further heighten primatologists' understanding of primate cognition and behavior.