The effects of predictable and unpredictable feeding schedules on the behavior and physiology of captive brown capuchins (Cebus apella)
Responses to different feeding schedules in group living capuchins (Cebus apella) were evaluated. Animals were fed on a predictable schedule for 6 weeks followed by 6 weeks on an unpredictable schedule (varied by early, on-time, or late feedings). Behavior was sampled via scan sampling at 1 min intervals 1 h pre-feed and 1 h post-feed. […]
Effects of food preferences on token exchange and behavioural responses to inequality in tufted capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella
We examined the extent to which female capuchin monkeys show an [`]aversion to inequitable work effort’ by providing the monkeys with the opportunity to engage in token exchange tasks to earn either a preferred (grape) or nonpreferred (oat cereal) food item. In experiment 1, monkeys were paired with partners such that both were required to […]
Determining the Value of Social Companionship to Captive Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella)
This study used a method similar to one introduced by Dawkins in 1990 to assess the magnitude of the psychological need for social companionship in pair-housed tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). This method permits classification of commodities as necessities or luxuries. The study directly compared the commodity of social companionship to the commodity of food, […]
Observer choices during experimental foraging tasks in brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)
Abstract We investigated whether capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) would choose to observe a high- or low-status adult female from their group during experimental foraging tests. The subject was located in the center of a test chamber, with a low- and high-ranking demonstrator on either side of two partitions. A peephole allowed the subject to observe […]
How tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) rank monkey chow in relation to other foods
Captive primates are usually fed on monkey chow, a high-energy food designed to provide a complete and balanced diet for primates. In addition to the nutritional value of a food, its palatability, frequency of presentation in the daily diet and sensory stimulation may also be important for determining whether it is accepted by the animals. […]
Attention to combined attention in New World monkeys (Cebus apella, Saimiri sciureus)
Co-orientation by capuchin (Cebus apella) and squirrel (Saimiri sciureus) monkeys in response to familiar humans abruptly switching the direction of their visual attention was recorded. Co-orientation occurred more frequently overall in capuchins than squirrel monkeys. Capuchins showed a tendency to habituate within trials involving consecutive attention switches performed by 2 different people, whereas squirrel monkeys […]
Survival and Adaptation of a Released Group of Confiscated Capuchin Monkeys
One commonly used method of managing confiscated wild primates in Latin American countries is to release rehabilitated individuals back to their natural habitats. However, little information has been collected from confiscated animal releases, so no clear guidelines have been developed to measure the success of this type of procedure. In most countries, the collection of […]
Between-group hostility affects within-group interactions in tufted capuchin monkeys
Between-group competition has long been thought to be a key factor influencing within-group social dynamics. In humans, it has been suggested that between-group competition may favour the emergence of within-group cooperation. However, between-group competition can also be hypothesized to induce social tension and cause within-group social relationships to deteriorate. So far, little research has focused […]
Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) remember future responses in a computerized task
Planning is an important aspect of many daily activities for humans. Planning involves forming a strategy in anticipation of a future need. However, evidence that nonhuman animals can plan for future situations is limited, particularly in relation to the many other kinds of cognitive capacities that they appear to share with humans. One critical aspect […]
Conceptual thresholds for same and different in old-(Macaca mulatta) and new-world (Cebus apella) monkeys
Learning of the relational same/different (S/D) concept has been demonstrated to be largely dependent upon stimulus sets containing more than two items for pigeons and old-world monkeys. Stimulus arrays containing several images for use in same/different discrimination procures (e.g. 16 identical images vs. 16 nonidentical images) have been shown to facilitate and even be necessary […]