Extent and Limits of the Matching Concept in Cebus Apella: A Matter of Experimental Control?

Abstract

The capacity to exhibit generalized sameness-difference judgments is a hallmark of cognition that is regularly exhibited by humans. As yet, that capacity has not been well documented in New World monkeys such as the capuchin (Cebus apel/a). This article presents data obtained with 6 capuchi n monkeys with a variety of procedures that might lead to gEmeralized identity matching-to-sample (MTS) in this species, reporting part of a research program conducted to evaluate methods for assessing the species' relational learning capacity. Our working hypothesis is that past failures to demonstrate relational learning have been caused by procedural insufficiency rather than a lack of capacity. Thus far, 6 capuchin monkeys have been test, ed for generalized identity MTS. The apparatus was a touchscreen-equipped microcomputer-controlled experimental chamber. Eleven sets of 3 visual stimuli (black shapes on gray backgrounds) were used. The general procedure was comprised of 4 phases: (a) simple discriminations, (b) repeated shifts of simple discriminations, (c) identity MTS training, and (d) generalized identity MTS tests . Every subject was exposed to each of the phasE3s. Positive results

Reversal Learning Set and Functional Equivalence in Children with and Without Autism

“…The program includes not only nonhuman primates (e.g., Galvão et al, 2005) but also preverbal children (Gil & Oliveira, under review) and nonverbal children with autism spectrum disorders. The second study reported here addressed the last of these populations.…”

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

“…Emergent conditional relations are generally tested in the absence of programmed reinforcement (i.e., extinction) to ensure that performance is not explicitly trained during the test. However, the absence of programmed reinforcement may be a possible cause of digressions in stimulus control during the tests (Dube & McIlvane, 1996;Galvão et al, 1992) and may establish a discriminated repertoire that produces negative results during testing (Brino et al, 2009;Galvão et al, 2005). Extinction can also lead to the occurrence of resurgent behaviors (Epstein, 1983(Epstein, , 1985Villas-Bôas, Murayama, & Tomanari, 2005;Wilson & Hayes, 1996), aggression (Azrin, Hutchinson, & Hake, 1966;Keller & Schoenfeld, 1950;Skinner, 1938), and an increase in behavioral variability (Antonitis, 1951;Lerman & Iwata, 1996).…”

“…As mentioned above, some studies reported positive results of symmetry assessment by controlling the stimulus location during training and restricting the stimuli to only one possible location during testing using a successive Go/No-Go procedure (e.g., Frank, 2007;Frank & Wasserman, 2005;Urcuioli, 2008;Vasconcelos & Urcuioli, 2011). The present study implemented such stimulus-location control using multiple sample and comparison locations in a 3 x 3 matrix (as used by Brino et al, 2009;Barros et al, 2002;Barros, Galvão, & McIlvane, 2002;Galvão et al, 2005).…”

Blank-comparison matching-to-sample reveals a false positive symmetry test in a capuchin monkey.

“…Schusterman and Kastak (1993) and Kastak, Schusterman, and Kastak (2001) studied sea lions and reported emergent symmetric, transitive, and equivalence relations (Sidman, & Tailby, 1982). However, the necessary conditions to obtain the emergence of derived relations in nonhumans have not been established (Sidman, 1994; Galvão et al, 2005). Knowledge of the variables responsible for intra- and inter-subject baseline performance variability has been suggested to be a possible source for predicting derived emergent relations (Galvão et al, 2005).…”

“…However, the necessary conditions to obtain the emergence of derived relations in nonhumans have not been established (Sidman, 1994; Galvão et al, 2005). Knowledge of the variables responsible for intra- and inter-subject baseline performance variability has been suggested to be a possible source for predicting derived emergent relations (Galvão et al, 2005). Extant reports of derived repertoires involve special sets of conditions with various species, but no analysis of the variables that could explain both successes and failures has been performed.…”