Jr. Anderson et al., Can squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) learn self-control? A study using food array selection tests and reverse-reward contingency, J EXP PSY A, 26(1), 2000, pp. 87-97
Citations number
24
Categorie Soggetti
Psycology,"Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-ANIMAL BEHAVIOR PROCESSES
Eight squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were presented with 2 stimulus ar
rays, namely I and 4 pieces of food, but they received only the array other
than the one they reached for. In this reverse-reward condition, all monke
ys initially showed a strong preference for the larger array. One monkey le
arned to reach toward the smaller array when a large-or-none reward conting
ency was applied (i.e., no reward followed a reach toward the larger array,
but this array was given for a reach toward the smaller array). When corre
ction trials and time-out were added to the large-or-none procedure, all re
maining monkeys except 1 learned this form of self-control. Performance was
maintained when correction trials were discontinued, the original reverse-
reward condition was rerun, and novel array-size pairs were presented. This
study demonstrates one form of self-control in a New World primate and sho
ws the reverse-reward procedure to be a potentially valuable method for ass
essing species and individual differences in self-control and numerosity-re
lated abilities.