This study examined object permanence in Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and black-and-white-ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) at Zoo Atlanta. A literature review reveals two main issues with object permanence research in non-human primates. One of the issues is that it is difficult to make valid comparisons between different species because very few studies have been conducted using appropriate controls. Thus, one of the goals of this study was to conduct control trials for all tasks in the traditional object permanence test battery, in order to reliably assess and compare performance in the species under study. The second issue is concerned with the finding that all of the non-human primate species tested so far have failed one of the more difficult tasks in the test battery, namely the non-adjacent double invisible displacement task. It has been hypothesized that this performance limitation is a result of the manner in which the task is presented. Thus, the second goal of this study was to modify the existing methodology and present the task to gorillas and orangutans in locomotive space to see if performance improves. This is the first study to present this task to non-human primate species in locomotive space. This study found that orangutans were the only species to reliably pass most tasks in the traditional object permanence test battery. Black-and-white ruffed lemurs failed most visible and invisible displacement tasks. Owing to the small sample size of gorillas in this study, further research is required before any firm conclusions can be made about the ability of this species to solve visible and invisible displacement tasks in the traditional object permanence test battery. Presenting the boxes in locomotive space to gorillas and orangutans did not improve performance on the non-adjacent double invisible displacement task. Further research is required to resolve the question of whether this performance limitation is a result of the manner in which the task was presented.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jan Luiz Leonardi.pdf: 974669 bytes, checksum: ff14eae278e1093b0a83b8d1bf2d5ea9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Insight has been interpreted in behavior analysis as the sudden resolution of a problem when two or more different repertoires, previously learned separately, interconnect in a new situation without direct training, producing original sequences of behavior. A small body of research has shown some variables which appear to contribute to the production of this phenomenon, but methodological problems, in particular the use of arbitrary objects in the problem-situation and the delay between response and reinforcer, limit its relevance. Under the light of these considerations, the objective of this research was to investigate the phenomenon of spontaneous interconnection of repertoires (or insight ) with variations in the procedures employed in the area. These were: (a) the object that should be reached by the subjects in the problem-situation was established as a reinforcing stimulus before the phases of testing and training; (b) the delay between the target response (from training and testing) and consumption of the primary reinforcer (water) was reduced by the construction of a drinking magazine that could be moved toward the subject. Two Wistar rats were used as experimental subjects. The equipment and materials were a circular chamber of 69 cm in diameter and 50 cm high, four acrylic cubes coated with black cardboard, a nylon string that drove the movement of the cube along the camera, and a buzzer. The procedure was divided in six phases: (a) training to the drinking magazine, (b) pre-test of insight, (c) training to push the cube, (d) intermediate test of insight, (e) training to climb on the cube and rise, (f) final test of insight. In the test of insight situation, the subject should reach the drinking magazine positioned at the top of the chamber by pushing an acrylic cube in its direction and climbing on the cube to drink. Water were used as reinforcement in a continuous schedule of reinforcement. The results showed that none of the subjects solved the problem in a sudden, direct and continuous way, criteria used to qualify the performance as insight . Nevertheless, the procedure used in this experiment has heuristic value as it represents an attempt to produce the phenomenon without the use of arbitrary objects (which significantly reduces the number of training sessions), and rendered the concept of functional generalization unnecessary. Finally, this research points out obstacles that the area faces in the study of insight , such as the difficulty in replicating Epstein s research and the problems generated by the use of arbitrary objects in the problem-situation, not to mention the limitations imposed by the behavioral interpretation of the phenomenon / O insight tem sido interpretado na análise do comportamento como a resolução súbita de um problema quando dois ou mais repertórios diferentes, previamente aprendidos em separado, se interconectam sem treino direto em uma nova situação, produzindo sequências originais de comportamento. Um pequeno conjunto de pesquisas evidenciou algumas variáveis que parecem contribuir para a produção desse fenômeno, mas problemas metodológicos, em especial o uso de objetos arbitrários na situação-problema e o atraso entre resposta e reforçador, limitam sua relevância. Em vista disso, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar o fenômeno de interconexão espontânea de repertórios (ou insight ) implementando algumas variações nos procedimentos empregados pela área. Foram elas: (a) o objeto que deveria ser alcançado pelos sujeitos na situação-problema foi estabelecido como estímulo reforçador antes das fases de teste e de treino; (b) o atraso entre a resposta-alvo (dos treinos e dos testes) e o consumo do reforçador primário (água) foi reduzido por meio da construção de um bebedouro que podia ser deslocado até o sujeito. Dois ratos Wistar foram utilizados como sujeitos experimentais. Os equipamentos e materiais foram uma câmara circular de 69 cm de diâmetro e 50 cm de altura, quatro cubos de acrílico revestidos com cartolina preta, um fio de náilon que guiava o movimento do cubo ao longo da câmara e um buzzer. O procedimento foi dividido em seis fases: (a) treino ao bebedouro; (b) pré-teste de insight; (c) treino de empurrar o cubo; (d) teste intermediário de insight; (e) treino de subir no cubo e erguer-se; (f) teste final de insight. Na situação de teste de insight, o sujeito deveria alcançar o bebedouro, posicionado no alto da câmara, empurrando um cubo de acrílico em direção a ele e subindo no cubo para beber. Gotas de água foram utilizadas como reforçador em esquema de reforçamento contínuo. Os resultados demonstraram que nenhum dos sujeitos resolveu o problema de forma súbita, direta e contínua, critérios empregados para qualificar o desempenho como insight . Apesar disso, o procedimento empregado neste experimento tem valor heurístico, na medida em que representa uma tentativa de produzir o fenômeno sem o uso de objetos arbitrários (o que reduz significativamente o número de sessões de treino necessárias), além de tornar desnecessário o conceito de generalização funcional. Por fim, são apontados alguns obstáculos que a área enfrenta no estudo do insight , como a dificuldade em replicar as pesquisas de Epstein e os problemas gerados pelo uso de objetos arbitrários na situação-problema, além de limitações impostas pela própria interpretação comportamental do fenômeno

Identifying the causes and consequences of intra-specific variation in cognitive abilities is fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of cognition. The social environment and cognitive abilities appear inextricably linked, yet evidence for how the social environment affects cognitive performances and further, how cognitive performances influence the social environment, has seldom been explored. Using the pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, I explore the relationships between individual variation in cognitive performances in relation to broad and fine-scale structure of the social environment and endeavour to separate cause and consequence. I demonstrate a positive causal effect of the broad-scale social environment on cognitive performances by observing increases in the accuracy of spatial discrimination performances when individuals are in larger groups (Chapter Two and Chapter Four). I show that the positive effects of larger group size occur over a relatively short period (less than one week), suggesting that cognitive performances are flexible in response to the social environment and I suggest four potential mechanisms. I show that while males are part of a social hierarchy, spatial discrimination performances are related to this fine-scale social structure and higher-ranking males outperform lower ranking males (Chapter Three). When attempting to determine cause and consequence, I found that spatial learning performances early in life did not predict adult cognitive performances on the same task or predict their adult social rank (Chapter Four). Hence, my results do not support that social rank is a consequence of spatial learning abilities in male pheasants. The relationship between spatial learning performances and social rank was found in adult males that had their social rank artificially elevated, suggesting that cognitive performances were not simply the result of the current social environment but remain closely related to past agonistic relationships. I did not find a relationship between early life aggression with performances on either a spatial or a non-spatial task in females or males (Chapter Five). This highlights the importance of investigating early life relationships and suggests that the relationship between spatial learning and aggression in adult males may become associated over time as a consequence of further spatial learning experiences, and, or, aggressive interactions. I then demonstrate a consequence of individual variation in cognitive abilities and show that adult foraging associations in the wild disassort by early life cognitive performances (Chapter Six). Individuals with good inhibitory control performance and poor visual discrimination performances were more central in social networks. I propose that differences in cognitive abilities manifest in foraging strategy and influence the resulting social structure. The implications of this predictable social structure remain to be explored. Finally, I discuss these results and how they contribute to our understanding of how the social environment causes individual differences in cognitive performances, as well as how variation in cognitive performances may shape the social environment. I suggest the potential implications of these findings and ideas for future work.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:36:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SilviaBFM.pdf: 183510 bytes, checksum: 25d17456b26e665dea3d1b33500465c1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-11-07 / The cats (Felis catus) were domesticated about 9,500 years ago due to the advent of agriculture, being used to control the pests that devastated the food harvested. These animals went through an artificial selection and over generations and millennia had their behavior and morphology changed by humans. This process of domestication by man gave rise to a special ability, the understanding of human pointing gestures, clearly noticed while we feed our pets. Our goal in this study was to assess the comprehension of pointing gestures by cats and also verify the influence that social interactions exerts on the development of this ability. We found that experimental subjects from both groups, solitary animals and social animals, were able to follow human indication in order to find hidden food. However, social interaction had no effect on cats performances. The ability tested here probably evolved during the process of domestication of this species, and social interaction seems to exert little or no influence upon its expression / AOs gatos (Felis catus) foram domesticados h? cerca de 9.500 anos devido ? agricultura, onde eram utilizados no combate ?s pragas que assolavam os alimentos colhidos. Esses animais passaram por uma sele??o artificial e ao longo das gera??es e mil?nios tiveram seus comportamentos e morfologia modificadas pelos humanos. O processo de domestica??o pelo homem fez surgir uma habilidade em especial, a compreens?o de sinais gestuais humanos, que ? bem observada nos momentos em que alimentamos nossos animais. Nosso objetivo neste estudo foi testar a resposta ? sinaliza??o gestual (comportamento de apontar) em gatos, emitida por humanos e tamb?m verificar a influ?ncia do conv?vio social sobre o desenvolvimento desta habilidade. Observamos que os sujeitos experimentais de ambos os grupos, animais solit?rios e de conv?vio em grupo, foram capazes de seguir os sinais de indica??o humana para localizar o alimento escondido. Por?m, a forma de conv?vio social n?o influenciou no desempenho dos gatos. A habilidade aqui testada, possivelmente evoluiu durante o processo de domestica??o dessa esp?cie, e a intera??o social parece exercer pouca ou nenhuma influ?ncia sobre a sua express?o

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