Adult and juvenile bearded capuchin monkeys handle stone hammers differently during nut‐cracking

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy M. Fragaszy ◽  
Sophie A. Barton ◽  
Sreinick Keo ◽  
Rushi Patel ◽  
Patrícia Izar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Nut Cracking

scholarly journals Synchronized practice helps bearded capuchin monkeys learn to extend attention while learning a tradition

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (30) ◽  
pp. 7798-7805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy M. Fragaszy ◽  
Yonat Eshchar ◽  
Elisabetta Visalberghi ◽  
Briseida Resende ◽  
Kellie Laity ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
Nonhuman Species ◽  
Over Time

Culture extends biology in that the setting of development shapes the traditions that individuals learn, and over time, traditions evolve as occasional variations are learned by others. In humans, interactions with others impact the development of cognitive processes, such as sustained attention, that shape how individuals learn as well as what they learn. Thus, learning itself is impacted by culture. Here, we explore how social partners might shape the development of psychological processes impacting learning a tradition. We studied bearded capuchin monkeys learning a traditional tool-using skill, cracking nuts using stone hammers. Young monkeys practice components of cracking nuts with stones for years before achieving proficiency. We examined the time course of young monkeys’ activity with nuts before, during, and following others’ cracking nuts. Results demonstrate that the onset of others’ cracking nuts immediately prompts young monkeys to start handling and percussing nuts, and they continue these activities while others are cracking. When others stop cracking nuts, young monkeys sustain the uncommon actions of percussing and striking nuts for shorter periods than the more common actions of handling nuts. We conclude that nut-cracking by adults can promote the development of sustained attention for the critical but less common actions that young monkeys must practice to learn this traditional skill. This work suggests that in nonhuman species, as in humans, socially specified settings of development impact learning processes as well as learning outcomes. Nonhumans, like humans, may be culturally variable learners.

scholarly journals Choice of stone tools to nut-cracking by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Falótico ◽  
Eduardo B. Ottoni
Keyword(s):  
Random Sequence ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Cebus Apella ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Significant Preference ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Traditional Use ◽  
Crack Open ◽  
Cracking Behavior ◽  
Nut Cracking

The use of stones to crack open encapsulated fruits is one of the most complex forms of tool use in primates, at the cognitive and manipulative levels. The choice of an adequate tool is a critical aspect in cracking behavior. So far, this question has not been experimentally studied in capuchin monkeys out of captivity settings. The present study was conducted to determine which factors affect the choice of stone tools for nut cracking by members of a semi-free ranging group of capuchin monkeys ( Cebus apella ) in Tietê Ecological Park, São Paulo, in which the spontaneous and traditional use of stones as tools has being studied for one decade. In this experiment five artificial hammers (stones used to pound the nut) were used, all made of the same material and format, but ranging in weigh between 300g and 1800g. The hammers were placed in a random sequence between two bigger flat stones, used as anvils (hard surfaces serving as support). Nuts of Syagrus romanzoffiana were available ad libitum . The results show that, considering all age classes, there was no preference for hammers based on its position, but there was based on the weight of hammers: the hammer weighting 1300g was used significantly more. Comparisons between age classes revealed that the young individuals, besides the still significant preference for the 1300g hammer, had also a significant preference for hammers in the positions next to the anvils. The adults/subadults had no preference for position, and chose significantly more the two heavier hammers. The influence of a less essential variable for cracking performance (easiness in reaching the tool) in the hammer choice by youngsters can be associated to a less clear discrimination of the critical properties of the tools (the hammer weight) for the right resolution of the task.

Substrate optimization in nut cracking by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

2006 ◽  
Vol 68 (10) ◽  
pp. 1017-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pouydebat ◽  
P. Gorce ◽  
V. Bels ◽  
Y. Coppens
Keyword(s):  
Cebus Apella ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Nut Cracking

scholarly journals Percussive tool use by Taï Western chimpanzees and Fazenda Boa Vista bearded capuchin monkeys: a comparison

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1682) ◽  
pp. 20140351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Visalberghi ◽  
Giulia Sirianni ◽  
Dorothy Fragaszy ◽  
Christophe Boesch
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Cognitive Differences ◽  
Transport Distance ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
Tool Modification ◽  
Selection Of

Percussive tool use holds special interest for scientists concerned with human origins. We summarize the findings from two field sites, Taï and Fazenda Boa Vista, where percussive tool use by chimpanzees and bearded capuchins, respectively, has been extensively investigated. We describe the ecological settings in which nut-cracking occurs and focus on four aspects of nut-cracking that have important cognitive implications, namely selection of tools, tool transport, tool modification and modulation of actions to reach the goal of cracking the nut. We comment on similarities and differences in behaviour and consider whether the observed differences reflect ecological, morphological, social and/or cognitive factors. Both species are sensitive to physical properties of tools, adjust their selection of hammers conditionally to the resistance of the nuts and to transport distance, and modulate the energy of their strikes under some conditions. However, chimpanzees transport hammers more frequently and for longer distances, take into account a higher number of combinations of variables and occasionally intentionally modify tools. A parsimonious interpretation of our findings is that morphological, ecological and social factors account for the observed differences. Confirmation of plausible cognitive differences in nut-cracking requires data not yet available.

Social learning strategies for nut-cracking by tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 911-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. Coelho ◽  
T. Falótico ◽  
P. Izar ◽  
M. Mannu ◽  
B. D. Resende ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Tufted Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Nut Cracking ◽  
Social Learning Strategies

scholarly journals Wild Bearded Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) Strategically Place Nuts in a Stable Position during Nut-Cracking

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e56182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy M. Fragaszy ◽  
Qing Liu ◽  
Barth W. Wright ◽  
Angellica Allen ◽  
Callie Welch Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Stable Position ◽  
Nut Cracking
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