CATEGORIZATION OF ALPHANUMERIC CHARACTERS BY GUINEA BABOONS - WITHIN-CLASS AND BETWEEN-CLASS STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION

Using a videotask requiring the manipulation of a joystick, we explore d how baboons categorize alphanumeric characters displayed in various typefaces. Two baboons were trained in a symbolic matching-to-sample t ask with 21 different fonts of the characters B and 3 as sample forms, and colored squares as comparison forms. After training, there was a positive transfer of performance to novel fonts (Experiment 1). This t ransfer relied on the use of categorical procedures, because an identi ty matching-to-sample task showed accurate discrimination between exem plars belonging to the same category (Experiment 2).