Social and Physical Cognition in Marmosets and Tamarins

Abstract

In this paper, we summarize and discuss recent research on the cognitive abilities of marmosets and tamarins, and compare its results with findings from other primates. The focus animal in this chapter will be the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), which we have studied extensively in our lab in Vienna. We present accumulated evidence for callitrichids being likely to: (1) locate food by using some sort of cognitive map, (2) represent objects and their movements in an abstract manner, (3) benefit from social influences that aid in learning about new food by motivational and perceptual factors, and (4) learn new foraging techniques imitatively by observing skillful conspecifics. Together, these findings provide evidence for quite a surprising level of understanding of the physical and social world of these monkeys and shake the long-held belief that callitrichids have low intelligence. These new insights suggest a reevaluation of the traditional monkey-to-ape shift in primate cognition.