Use of a Touchscreen-mediated Testing System with Mandrill Monkeys

Abstract

Relatively little is known of the cognitive and perceptual abilities of mandrill monkeys ( Mandrillussphinx sp. ). Here, we document how seven adult mandrills were trained to effectively use a touchscreen mediated testing system. Upon mastering use of this device, subjects were presented with two automated discrimination tasks; one requiring discrimination of the target from an array of distracters using color, the second requiring discrimination by shape. Examination of individual differences in both training and testing performance provided evidence that position in the social hierarchy and circumstances of the testing environment impacted learning. Further, examination of error production revealed that errors were not distributed randomly, with subjects being attracted to a biologically relevant color and a shape that was featurally similar to the target.