scholarly journals Percussive tool use by Taï Western chimpanzees and Fazenda Boa Vista bearded capuchin monkeys: a comparison

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1682) ◽  
pp. 20140351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Visalberghi ◽  
Giulia Sirianni ◽  
Dorothy Fragaszy ◽  
Christophe Boesch
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Cognitive Differences ◽  
Transport Distance ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
Tool Modification ◽  
Selection Of

Percussive tool use holds special interest for scientists concerned with human origins. We summarize the findings from two field sites, Taï and Fazenda Boa Vista, where percussive tool use by chimpanzees and bearded capuchins, respectively, has been extensively investigated. We describe the ecological settings in which nut-cracking occurs and focus on four aspects of nut-cracking that have important cognitive implications, namely selection of tools, tool transport, tool modification and modulation of actions to reach the goal of cracking the nut. We comment on similarities and differences in behaviour and consider whether the observed differences reflect ecological, morphological, social and/or cognitive factors. Both species are sensitive to physical properties of tools, adjust their selection of hammers conditionally to the resistance of the nuts and to transport distance, and modulate the energy of their strikes under some conditions. However, chimpanzees transport hammers more frequently and for longer distances, take into account a higher number of combinations of variables and occasionally intentionally modify tools. A parsimonious interpretation of our findings is that morphological, ecological and social factors account for the observed differences. Confirmation of plausible cognitive differences in nut-cracking requires data not yet available.

“Second guessing yourself all the time about what they really mean…”: Cognitive differences between autistic and non-autistic adults in understanding implied meaning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Wilson ◽  
Dorothy Vera Margaret Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Language Ability ◽  
Test Format ◽  
Cognitive Differences ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Cognitive Preference ◽  
Core Language ◽  
Implied Meaning ◽  
Cognitive Preferences ◽  
Explicit Communication ◽  
Selection Of

This study investigated cognitive differences between autistic and non-autistic people in understanding implied meaning in conversation using a novel computerized test, the Implicature Comprehension Test. Controlling for core language ability, autistic participants (N = 66) were over twice as likely to endorse a non-normative interpretation of an implied meaning and over five times as likely to select ‘don’t know’ when asked about the presence of an implied meaning, compared to non-autistic participants (N = 118). A further experiment suggested that the selection of ‘don’t know’ reflected a cognitive preference for certainty and explicit communication, and that the normative inference could often be made when the test format was more constrained. Our research supports the hypothesis that autistic individuals can find it challenging to process language in its pragmatic context, and that cognitive preferences play a role in this.

Stone tool use by wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) at Serra das Confusões National Park, Brazil

Primates ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Falótico ◽  
Paulo Henrique M. Coutinho ◽  
Carolina Q. Bueno ◽  
Henrique P. Rufo ◽  
Eduardo B. Ottoni
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
National Park ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys

scholarly journals Poor coherence in older people's speech is explained by impaired semantic and executive processes

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Hoffman ◽  
Ekaterina Loginova ◽  
Asatta Russell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The World ◽  
Selection Of

The ability to speak coherently is essential for effective communication but declines with age: older people more frequently produce tangential, off-topic speech. The cognitive factors underpinning this decline are poorly understood. We predicted that maintaining coherence relies on effective regulation of activated semantic knowledge about the world, and particularly on the selection of currently relevant semantic representations to drive speech production. To test this, we collected 840 speech samples along with measures of executive and semantic ability from 60 young and older adults, using a novel computational method to quantify coherence. Semantic selection ability predicted coherence, as did level of semantic knowledge and a measure of domain-general executive ability. These factors fully accounted for the age-related coherence deficit. Our results indicate that maintaining coherence in speech becomes more challenging as people age because they accumulate more knowledge but are less able to effectively regulate how it is activated and used.

scholarly journals Tool use in urban populations of capuchin monkeys Sapajus spp. (Primates: Cebidae)

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas M. Aguiar ◽  
Raphael M. Cardoso ◽  
Janaína P. Back ◽  
Eduarda C. Carneiro ◽  
Adriane Suzin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Urban Populations

scholarly journals Therianthropy: Wellbeing, Schizotypy, and Autism in Individuals Who Self-Identify as Non-Human

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-426
Author(s):  
Helen Clegg ◽  
Roz Collings ◽  
Elizabeth C. Roxburgh
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractTherianthropy is the belief that one is at least part non-human animal. This study aimed to address the dichotomization surrounding therianthropy in relation to mental health and wellbeing. One hundred and twelve therians and 265 non-therians completed Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Wellbeing, the O-LIFE questionnaire, and the Autism Spectrum Quotient. The results showed that therians scored lower on variables that are associated with positive social relationships. Such findings may be explained by cognitive factors and/or social factors that are associated with the stigmatization of cross-species identities. However, being a therian moderated the relationship between both autism and introverted anhedonia in relation to autonomy. Thus, a therian identity may act as a protective factor for those experiencing higher levels of autism and schizotypy.

scholarly journals Functional mastery of percussive technology in nut-cracking and stone-flaking actions: experimental comparison and implications for the evolution of the human brain

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1585) ◽  
pp. 59-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blandine Bril ◽  
Jeroen Smaers ◽  
James Steele ◽  
Robert Rein ◽  
Tetsushi Nonaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Brain Evolution ◽  
Experimental Comparison ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
Percussive Technology ◽  
Recent Experimental Work

Various authors have suggested behavioural similarities between tool use in early hominins and chimpanzee nut cracking, where nut cracking might be interpreted as a precursor of more complex stone flaking. In this paper, we bring together and review two separate strands of research on chimpanzee and human tool use and cognitive abilities. Firstly, and in the greatest detail, we review our recent experimental work on behavioural organization and skill acquisition in nut-cracking and stone-knapping tasks, highlighting similarities and differences between the two tasks that may be informative for the interpretation of stone tools in the early archaeological record. Secondly, and more briefly, we outline a model of the comparative neuropsychology of primate tool use and discuss recent descriptive anatomical and statistical analyses of anthropoid primate brain evolution, focusing on cortico-cerebellar systems. By juxtaposing these two strands of research, we are able to identify unsolved problems that can usefully be addressed by future research in each of these two research areas.

Tool use in capuchin monkeys: Distinguishing between performing and understanding

Primates ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Visalberghi ◽  
Loredana Trinca
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys

A Control System for a Tool Use Robot: Drawing a Circle by Educing Functions of a Compass

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-405
Author(s):  
Kyo Kutsuzawa ◽  
◽  
Sho Sakaino ◽  
Toshiaki Tsuji
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Coordinate System ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Controller Design ◽  
Multiple Points ◽  
Mechanical Constraints ◽  
Robotic Tool ◽  
Selection Of

[abstFig src='/00290002/12.jpg' width='260' text='Axes in the compass coordinate system' ] Robotic tool use is one of various approaches for actualizing versatility of robots, and is thus the focus of many studies. However, selection of the controllers for tool use and how to design them remains indeterminate. This paper addresses the task of drawing a circle with a compass as an example of tool use. This task mandates to deal with complex contact at multiple points and needs to educe functions of the compass to draw a circle accurately. This paper demonstrates the implementation and corresponding method of compass controller design. The method of designing the controller for the compass entails decomposing the usage of the compass into semantic units and subsequently defining a coordinate system and fabricating the controller via mapping of the semantic units to axes. The implementation of a controller for compass use indicates that the ability of the compass to accurately draw a circle is educed via mechanical constraints of the compass. We validated the implemented controller by drawing a circle and comparing the result to a circle drawn using a pencil.

scholarly journals Synchronized practice helps bearded capuchin monkeys learn to extend attention while learning a tradition

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (30) ◽  
pp. 7798-7805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy M. Fragaszy ◽  
Yonat Eshchar ◽  
Elisabetta Visalberghi ◽  
Briseida Resende ◽  
Kellie Laity ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
Nonhuman Species ◽  
Over Time

Culture extends biology in that the setting of development shapes the traditions that individuals learn, and over time, traditions evolve as occasional variations are learned by others. In humans, interactions with others impact the development of cognitive processes, such as sustained attention, that shape how individuals learn as well as what they learn. Thus, learning itself is impacted by culture. Here, we explore how social partners might shape the development of psychological processes impacting learning a tradition. We studied bearded capuchin monkeys learning a traditional tool-using skill, cracking nuts using stone hammers. Young monkeys practice components of cracking nuts with stones for years before achieving proficiency. We examined the time course of young monkeys’ activity with nuts before, during, and following others’ cracking nuts. Results demonstrate that the onset of others’ cracking nuts immediately prompts young monkeys to start handling and percussing nuts, and they continue these activities while others are cracking. When others stop cracking nuts, young monkeys sustain the uncommon actions of percussing and striking nuts for shorter periods than the more common actions of handling nuts. We conclude that nut-cracking by adults can promote the development of sustained attention for the critical but less common actions that young monkeys must practice to learn this traditional skill. This work suggests that in nonhuman species, as in humans, socially specified settings of development impact learning processes as well as learning outcomes. Nonhumans, like humans, may be culturally variable learners.

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