Self-Control and Tool Use in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella)
Running head: TUFTED CAPUCHIN MONKEYS
Self-control and Tool Use in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella)
Quyen Nguyen
University of Texas at Arlington
Abstract
Self-control is defined as forgoing immediate gratification to obtain a greater rewards…These results indicate that capuchins are capable of delaying gratification when a higher quality reinforcer is present and that tool experience can influence levels of control in this task.
Self-control and Tool Use in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella) Introduction Self-control can be operationally defined as choosing to forgo immediate gratification in order to obtain a more valuable, but delayed reward (Mischel, 1974)…The goal of our study was to test for a relationship between self-control and tool use in a tool-using species, the tufted capuchin monkeys. Self-control has been evaluated in some common laboratory species, including rats (Rattus), and pigeons (Columbia), and non-human primates (NHPs; Macaca, Pan, Pongo, Saguinus, and Saimiri)…These findings suggest that self-control may be limited to Old World NHPs (apes and Old World monkeys). Tool use, however, is a behavior seen frequently in both Old World and New World NHPs…Therefore, this New World primate species may exhibit a level of self-control comparable to that seen in Old World monkeys and apes, if tested in a deliberate investigation of self-control behavior. In the self-control paradigm, a number of methodological variables have been established as predictors of self-control and impulsive behaviors (for full list, see Tobin & Logue, 1994...Additionally, reinforcer quality (e.g., flavor or quantity) has been shown to influence choice in the self-control paradigm. Subjects’ self-control can be strengthened or diminished by increasing the reinforcer quality associated with the self-control or impulse response, respectively (King & Logue, 1990; Logue & King, 1991). Although it has never been tested before,
Self-control and Tool Use in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella)
Quyen Nguyen
University of Texas at Arlington
Abstract
Self-control is defined as forgoing immediate gratification to obtain a greater rewards…These results indicate that capuchins are capable of delaying gratification when a higher quality reinforcer is present and that tool experience can influence levels of control in this task.
Self-control and Tool Use in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella) Introduction Self-control can be operationally defined as choosing to forgo immediate gratification in order to obtain a more valuable, but delayed reward (Mischel, 1974)…The goal of our study was to test for a relationship between self-control and tool use in a tool-using species, the tufted capuchin monkeys. Self-control has been evaluated in some common laboratory species, including rats (Rattus), and pigeons (Columbia), and non-human primates (NHPs; Macaca, Pan, Pongo, Saguinus, and Saimiri)…These findings suggest that self-control may be limited to Old World NHPs (apes and Old World monkeys). Tool use, however, is a behavior seen frequently in both Old World and New World NHPs…Therefore, this New World primate species may exhibit a level of self-control comparable to that seen in Old World monkeys and apes, if tested in a deliberate investigation of self-control behavior. In the self-control paradigm, a number of methodological variables have been established as predictors of self-control and impulsive behaviors (for full list, see Tobin & Logue, 1994...Additionally, reinforcer quality (e.g., flavor or quantity) has been shown to influence choice in the self-control paradigm. Subjects’ self-control can be strengthened or diminished by increasing the reinforcer quality associated with the self-control or impulse response, respectively (King & Logue, 1990; Logue & King, 1991). Although it has never been tested before,
References: Anderson, J.R., Awazu, S., & Fujita, K. (2000). Can squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) learn self control? A study using food array selection tests and reverse-reward contingency. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 26, 87-97. Anderson, J.R., Awazu, S., & Fujita, K. (2004). Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) choose smaller food arrays: Long-term retention, choice with no preferred food, and transposition. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 118, 58-64. Westergaard, G. C., Lundquist, A. L., Haynie, M. K., Kuhn, H. E., & Suomi, S. J. (1998). Why some capuchins (Cebus apella) use probing tools (and others do not). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 112, 207-211. Westergaard, G. C., & Suomi, S.J. (1993). Use of a tool-set by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). Primates, 34, 459-462. Figure Caption Figure 1. The frequency of self-control responses was influenced by tool experience as well as interactions among tool experience, distance, and reinforcer quality. The y-axis represents the percentage of trials in which each experience group exhibited self-control responses. The x-axis indicates distance and reinforcer quality.