Book contents
- Primate Cognitive Studies
- Primate Cognitive Studies
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 The Purpose of Primate Cognitive Studies
- 2 A History of Primates Studying Primates
- 3 Genetic and Environmental Influences on Chimpanzee Brain and Cognition
- 4 The Evolution of Cognition in Primates, Including Humans
- 5 State of the Field
- 6 Current Perspectives on Primate Perception
- 7 The Comparative Study of Categorization
- 8 Numerical Cognition in Nonhuman Primates
- 9 The Natural History of Primate Spatial Cognition
- 10 Progress and Prospects in Primate Tool Use and Cognition
- 11 Sequencing, Artificial Grammar, and Recursion in Primates
- 12 The Evolution of Episodic Cognition
- 13 Metacognition
- 14 Bridging the Conceptual Gap between Inferential Reasoning and Problem Solving in Primates
- 15 The Eyes Have It
- 16 Social Cooperation in Primates
- 17 Primate Communication
- 18 Theory of Mind in Nonhuman Primates
- 19 A Requiem for Ape Language Research
- 20 Primate Empathy
- 21 Replication and Reproducibility in Primate Cognition Research
- 22 Ethical Considerations in Conducting Primate Cognition Research
- 23 Collaboration and Open Science Initiatives in Primate Research
- 24 Studying Primate Cognition
- 25 Do Monkeys Belong in the Ape House?
- Index
- References
9 - The Natural History of Primate Spatial Cognition
An Organismic Perspective
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2022
- Primate Cognitive Studies
- Primate Cognitive Studies
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 The Purpose of Primate Cognitive Studies
- 2 A History of Primates Studying Primates
- 3 Genetic and Environmental Influences on Chimpanzee Brain and Cognition
- 4 The Evolution of Cognition in Primates, Including Humans
- 5 State of the Field
- 6 Current Perspectives on Primate Perception
- 7 The Comparative Study of Categorization
- 8 Numerical Cognition in Nonhuman Primates
- 9 The Natural History of Primate Spatial Cognition
- 10 Progress and Prospects in Primate Tool Use and Cognition
- 11 Sequencing, Artificial Grammar, and Recursion in Primates
- 12 The Evolution of Episodic Cognition
- 13 Metacognition
- 14 Bridging the Conceptual Gap between Inferential Reasoning and Problem Solving in Primates
- 15 The Eyes Have It
- 16 Social Cooperation in Primates
- 17 Primate Communication
- 18 Theory of Mind in Nonhuman Primates
- 19 A Requiem for Ape Language Research
- 20 Primate Empathy
- 21 Replication and Reproducibility in Primate Cognition Research
- 22 Ethical Considerations in Conducting Primate Cognition Research
- 23 Collaboration and Open Science Initiatives in Primate Research
- 24 Studying Primate Cognition
- 25 Do Monkeys Belong in the Ape House?
- Index
- References
Summary
We adapt a method from mammalian comparative biology to study spatial cognition in relation to lifestyle. We compare members of the family Pitheciidae (titi monkeys, sakis, bearded sakis, and uakaris) to one another and to two cebid relatives, squirrel monkeys and owl monkeys. We review experimental studies that directly compare titis and squirrel monkeys in spatial tasks and social settings. Titis occupy small, defended home ranges and live in small groups comprising an adult male-female pair and young. In contrast, bearded sakis, uakaris, and squirrel monkeys, occupy large, undefended home ranges, move rapidly, and live in large groups. White-faced sakis illustrate an intermediate condition. Lab studies show that titis and squirrel monkeys differ in their use of visual information in travel tasks and in responsiveness to environmental novelty. Proximate sources of titis’ cautious, sedentary lifestyle include attention to contextual detail, preferences for familiar pathways and areas, behavioral inhibition, parasympathetic dominance, and adult heterosexual attachment bonds. A speculative scenario for the evolution of titis within the Pitheciidae is offered, in which spatial cognition is included as a factor. Further potential applications of this approach within the primate order are considered. We maintain that a holistic, biological, and evolutionary methodology is most likely to elucidate the underpinnings and form of complex cognition.
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- Primate Cognitive Studies , pp. 188 - 237Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022