Monkeys and apes: Are their cognitive skills really so different?

Abstract

Differences in cognitive skills across taxa, and between monkeys and apes in particular, have been explained by different hypotheses, although these often are not supported by systematic interspecific comparisons. Here, we directly compared the cognitive performance of the four great apes and three monkey species (spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and long-tailed macaques), differing in their phylogenetic-relatedness and socioecology. We tested subjects on their ability to remember object locations (memory task), track object displacements (transposition task), and obtain out-of-reach rewards (support task). Our results showed no support for an overall clear-cut distinction in cognitive skills between monkeys and apes as species performance varied substantially across tasks. Although we found differences in performance at tracking object displacements between monkeys and apes, interspecific differences in the other two tasks were better explained in terms of differential socioecology, especially differential levels of fission-fusion dynamics. A cluster analysis using mean scores of each condition of the three tasks for each species suggested that the only dichotomy might be between members of the genus Pan and the rest of the tested species. These findings evidence the importance of using multiple tasks across multiple species in a comparative perspective to test different explanations for the enhancement of specific cognitive skills.

Referential gestures in fish collaborative hunting

“…However, although fish have traditionally been considered relatively simpleminded, there is mounting evidence that their cognitive abilities are more advanced than previously thought 37 . In the present study, the observed ability of the grouper to wait above a hidden prey for up to 25 min before signalling to a passing predatory partner suggests it may perform at an ape-like level in a memory task commonly used to assess cognitive ability 38 . More generally, fishes may use complex social strategies in the context of intraspecific collaborative hunting 39 , social learning 40,41 and in cleaning interactions [42][43][44] , and demonstrate potentially complex cognitive processes such as transitive inference 45 and the ability to generalize 46 .…”

Understanding the functional properties of tools: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) attend to tool features differently

“…Amici et al 2010), as well as in attention management. Fragaszy et al (2009) proposed an ecological perspective to explain the latter difference; capuchins, as smaller animals with a higher risk of predation than chimpanzees, are more ''vigilant'' and interrupt their activity every few seconds to look around themselves.…”

Brain Connectivity in Ateles geoffroyi: Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Working Memory and Executive Control

“…The memory and other cognitive skills of the spider monkey have been reported to be outstanding under experimental conditions, particularly in relation to its olfactory memory [Hernandez Salazar et al, 2003;Laska et al, 2003Laska et al, , 2006Amici et al, 2008Amici et al, , 2010. For example, Laska et al [2003] conducted a comparative study originally proposed for assessing olfactory performance in an Old World primate, the macaque pigtail.…”

“…In this experiment, Laska et al [2003] highlighted discriminatory ability, odor memory, and odor learning performance and concluded that the Ateles possess excellent retention of the reward value of the pairs of odors previously learned for up to 4 weeks. Amici et al [2010] conducted a comparative study of cognitive abilities in four great apes and three monkey species (spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and longtailed macaques). The delayed match-to-sample task, where three conditions were tested (no delay, a 30-s delay, and a 30-min delay) to evaluate memory, showed that spider monkeys performed better than the gorillas and other monkeys evaluated [Amici et al, 2010].…”

“…Amici et al [2010] conducted a comparative study of cognitive abilities in four great apes and three monkey species (spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and longtailed macaques). The delayed match-to-sample task, where three conditions were tested (no delay, a 30-s delay, and a 30-min delay) to evaluate memory, showed that spider monkeys performed better than the gorillas and other monkeys evaluated [Amici et al, 2010]. These studies support the existence of an information storage and handling system, as in other nonhuman primates, which operates under the same principles of using cognitive resources for handling information stored in short-term memory.…”