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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Humans' folk physics is not enough to explain variations in their tool-using behavior.

Two experiments examined adult humans' folk physics (i.e., their naturally occurring and spontaneous understanding of the physical world) using variations of trap-table problems used to study chimpanzees' folk physics. When presented with these problems, people unnecessarily avoided retrieving a reward by pulling a rake on the side of a table with a trapping hole--even though it was highly unlikely that the hole would trap the reward. However, when the distance between the reward and the trap was sufficiently large and the distance that the reward had to travel to be retrieved was sufficiently short, people preferred to retrieve a reward by pulling the rake on the side of the table with the trap. These results underscore that behavior during tool-use tasks has many possible causes, only one of which might be a subject's folk physics.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed1989

Social influences on the acquisition of tool-using behaviors in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

To identify behaviors related to acquisition of tool-use in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella), we presented two tool-using tasks to two groups, extending findings by Westergaard and Fragaszy (1987) and Visalberghi (in press). Five Ss learned to use the tools in each task. The primary predictor of success was level of interest in the task. Observation of others at the apparatus did not facilitate exploratory behaviors or contact with the tools in the observers. Most animals performed exploratory behaviors more often when they were at the apparatus alone than when with another, whether or not the other was using a tool. Observers were quick to learn the relationship between another's activities and the appearance of food. We conclude that capuchins do not readily learn about instrumental relations by observation of others or imitate other's acts. Imitation probably plays no role in the spread of novel instrumental behaviors among monkeys.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

A method for the objective study of tool-using behavior.

Key pecking for food was shaped in four crows within a conventional operant-conditioning test chamber. When pecking stabilized, a metal screen with openings 2.5 cm high by 1.0 cm wide, was placed over the response key, so that the crow could still see but could no longer peck the key. At the same time, several dozen wooden matchsticks, which could be used to operate the key, were placed in the test chamber. The crows made no use of these during 50 to 75 hr of exposure to this condition. Subsequently, the behavior of two crows was shaped so that they approached the matchsticks, picked one up in their beaks, approached the response key with the matchstick in their beak, and finally operated the response key by poking the matchstick through the screen. This shaping procedure was ineffective with the two other crows. However, these birds were successfully trained through positional fading of the tool. This involved suspending a metal rod from the ceiling so that it hung directly in front of the response key, and the crow had only to peck it to operate the key. Then, the rod was gradually lowered by lengthening its tether until it eventually rested on the floor of the test chamber. The principal advantage of this methodology is the automatic recording of the terminal (tool-using) behavior under study.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Acquisition and development of monkey tool-use: behavioral and kinematic analyses.

Four Japanese macaques were trained in the use of a T-shaped rake. Use the tool and development of the level of the skill of tool-use took place in three distinct stages. During stage 1, two of the monkeys seemed to use insight for initial solution, while fortuitous experiences led the other two monkeys to the solution. All the monkeys used the tool in a stereotyped manner and could retrieve food only when the tool was placed close to the food. At stage 2 the monkeys became able to manipulate the tool in various ways and became able to retrieve the food regardless of its position. By stage 3 they had developed the level of skill required for efficient retrieval. Further experiments revealed that the monkeys attempted to use unfamiliar objects which were similar to the original tool in shape, but not spherical or ring-shaped objects, to rake in the food.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Chimpanzee tool technology in the Goualougo Triangle, Republic of Congo.

With the exception of humans, chimpanzees show the most diverse and complex tool-using repertoires of all extant species. Specific tool repertoires differ between wild chimpanzee populations, but no apparent genetic or environmental factors have emerged as definitive forces shaping variation between populations. However, identification of such patterns has likely been hindered by a lack of information from chimpanzee taxa residing in central Africa. We report our observations of the technological system of chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle, located in the Republic of Congo, which is the first study to compile a complete tool repertoire from the Lower Guinean subspecies of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). Between 1999 and 2006, we documented the tool use of chimpanzees by direct observations, remote video monitoring, and collections of tool assemblages. We observed 22 different types of tool behavior, almost half of which were habitual (shown repeatedly by several individuals) or customary (shown by most members of at least one age-sex class). Several behaviors considered universals among chimpanzees were confirmed in this population, but we also report the first observations of known individuals using tools to perforate termite nests, puncture termite nests, pound for honey, and use leafy twigs for rain cover. Tool behavior in this chimpanzee population ranged from simple tasks to hierarchical sequences. We report three different tool sets and a high degree of tool-material selectivity for particular tasks, which are otherwise rare in wild chimpanzees. Chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle are shown to have one of the largest and most complex tool repertoires reported in wild chimpanzee populations. We highlight new insights from this chimpanzee population to our understanding of ape technological systems and evolutionary models of tool-using behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

New insights into chimpanzees, tools, and termites from the Congo Basin.

The tool-using behaviors of wild chimpanzees comprise the most impressive assemblages and flexible repertoires of nonhuman material culture. We expand knowledge of the breadth and complexity of tool use in this species by providing the first descriptions of the form and function of two distinct tool sets used by chimpanzees in preying upon termites within the forests of the Goualougo Triangle, Republic of Congo. Further, we report the first application of remote video monitoring technology to record wild chimpanzee tool-using behavior. Based on tool assemblages recovered at termite nests, we hypothesized that chimpanzees were regularly visiting two forms of termite nests and using specific tools to extract termite prey depending on the structure of the nest. Six months of continuous remote video monitoring at six termite nests confirmed that chimpanzees use a tool set to puncture and fish at subterranean termite nests and another tool set to perforate and fish at epigeal (aboveground) nests. Our findings of strict adherence to tool forms at different nest types, tool material selectivity, repeated visits to nests with reusable wood tool assemblages, and differences in material culture between communities have broad implications for our understanding of the ecological and cultural factors that shape hominoid tool use.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Dietary responses to fruit scarcity of wild chimpanzees at Bossou, Guinea: possible implications for ecological importance of tool use.

A 13-month ecological study was conducted at Bossou, Guinea, West Africa, to elucidate how a community of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) deals with the scarcity of main foods. During the study period, fruit availability fluctuated radically. The chimpanzees were confirmed to depend heavily on three "keystone resources" which were available when their main foods (fruit pulp) were scarce. These were fruits of Musanga cecropioides, oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis) nuts, and oil-palm pith. These are abundant in the chimpanzees' home range and their nutritional contents compensate for a decrease in nutritional intake from fruit pulp. The presence of these excellent backup foods may explain the high reproductive performance of Bossou chimpanzees. Here, chimpanzees consumed two of the three keystone foods using two types of tool behavior: nut-cracking for oil-palm nuts and pestle-pounding for oil-palm pith. These tool-using behaviors accounted for 31.9% of the total feeding time spent in June (the month in which the highest frequency occurred) and 10.4% in total for the year. It is suggested that the Bossou chimpanzees depend strongly on tools for their subsistence. This implies a possible function for tool technology in the evolution of our human ancestors.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Use of a tool-set by Pan troglodytes troglodytes to obtain termites (Macrotermes) in the periphery of the Dja Biosphere Reserve, southeast Cameroon.

At the northern periphery of the Dja Biosphere Reserve (southeastern Cameroon) we recorded a new use of a tool-set by Pan troglodytes troglodytes to prey on Macrotermes muelleri, M. renouxi, M. lilljeborgi, and M. nobilis. We recovered 79 puncturing sticks and 47 fishing probes at 17 termite nests between 2002 and 2005. The mean length of the puncturing sticks (n = 77) and fishing probes (n = 45) was 52 cm and 56 cm, respectively, and the mean diameter was 9 mm and 4.5 mm, respectively. Sixty-eight percent of 138 chimpanzee fecal samples contained major soldiers of four Macrotermes species. The chimpanzees in southeastern Cameroon appeared to be selective in their choice of plant material to make their tools. The tools found at our study site resemble those from other sites in this region. However, in southeastern Cameroon only one tool-set type was found, whereas two tool-set types have been reported in Congo. Our study suggests that, along with the different vegetation types and the availability of plant material around termite nests, the nest and gallery structure and foraging behavior of the different Macrotermes spp. at all Central African sites must be investigated before we can attribute differences in tool-use behavior to culture.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Object-use in free-ranging white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) in Costa Rica.

Chimpanzees and capuchins demonstrate greater varieties and higher rates of tool-use when compared to other non-human primates. Although capuchins have been studied extensively in captivity, data on their tool-using behavior under free-ranging conditions are limited. This is the first long-term field research to systematically study complex object manipulation in capuchins. The aims of this research are 1) to examine the types, rates, and contexts of tool- and object-use in free-ranging capuchins and 2) to determine if free-ranging capuchins' object manipulation behavior is comparable to the behavior exhibited by captive individuals. Data on 3 troops of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) were collected from February 1995 to January 1996 at Palo Verde, Costa Rica. Data were collected using focal animal and ad libitum sampling techniques. Any observed incident of tool-use and object-use was recorded. No tool-use was observed during the 11-month study. Object-use (pound, rub, and fulcrum-use) occurred at a rate of 0.19/hr and made up less than 1% of the monkeys' time (there were no differences among the age/sex classes). The results indicate that free-ranging capuchins do not exhibit the range of tool-using behavior demonstrated by their captive counterparts. This may be the result of differential motivational responses to objects, arboreal lifestyle, absence of adequate tool material, and/or absence of food resources that require extraction involving tool-use.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Tool use in wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus albifrons trinitatis).

White-fronted capuchins were observed to use leaves as cups to retrieve water from tree cavities. On multiple occasions several individuals performed this behavior. Thus, these capuchins engage in habitual tool use, as defined by McGrew's classificatory scheme of tool using behavior.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Infant behaviors as indicators of established acute pain.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: Many infant pain assessment tools use infant behaviors indicative of increased arousal. These tools were developed and tested using clinical situations involving acute immediate pain responses. Are these behaviors valid, clinical indicators of acute established pain (non-procedurally caused) pain? Can these tools be used to assess acute established infant pain? This article explores research findings to answer these questions. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that behaviors indicative of increased arousal (e.g., crying, facial expressions that accompany crying) are nonspecific indicators of distress rather than independent indicators of established acute pain. Thus, the use of behaviors representing acute immediate pain responses to assess acute established pain, or the use of tools that incorporate these behaviors, can be misleading. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Always use acute immediate pain behavioral responses (behaviors indicative of increased arousal) in conjunction with clinical data concerning "likelihood of pain" and consolability.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Transport of tools to food sites in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Tool use and transport represent cognitively important aspects of early hominid evolution, and nonhuman primates are often used as models to examine the cognitive, ecological, morphological and social correlates of these behaviors in order to gain insights into the behavior of our early human ancestors. In 2001, Jalles-Filho et al. found that free-ranging capuchin monkeys failed to transport tools (stones) to food sites (nuts), but transported the foods to the tool sites. This result cast doubt on the usefulness of Cebus to model early human tool-using behavior. In this study, we examined the performance of six captive tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) in a tool transport task. Subjects were provided with the opportunity to transport two different tools to fixed food reward sites when the food reward was visible from the tool site and when the food reward was not visible from the tool site. We found that the subjects quickly and readily transported probing tools to an apparatus baited with syrup, but rarely transported stones to a nut-cracking apparatus. We suggest that the performance of the capuchins here reflects an efficient foraging strategy, in terms of energy return, among wild Cebus monkeys.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Rapid learning of sequential tool use by macaque monkeys.

Earlier reports have described monkeys in their natural habitat as being capable of purposefully using tools for activities such as obtaining food. However, little is known regarding the extent of macaque monkeys' ability to understand the functional meaning of objects as tools. We have trained Japanese macaques in tool-use behavior to demonstrate their abilities to solve stick problems involving the use of a novel tool and a sequential combination of different tools. Results suggest that macaque monkeys have cognitive abilities, such as (1). flexibility in applying previous experience in accordance with the requirements of the learning situation, (2). the foresight needed to conduct a series of acts in a continuous sequential manner and the ability to internally plan the necessary strategy.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

Line staff use of the behavioral observation system: assessment of depression scale validity and cut scores.

The Behavioral Observation System (BOS) is an objective behavioral tool used by non-degreed line staff to assess depression, mania, psychosis, and acting out in psychiatric inpatients. The current study uses the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-1A to provide evidence for convergent validity for the BOS Depression Scale and to determine effective cut-scores to assist in BOS interpretation. Findings support substantial correlational agreement between the BOS Depression Scale and the BDI. A discriminant function analysis established a "hit rate" of 82% using a Depression Scale score of 7 or greater to identify those with at least moderate levels of depression. The study data lend further credibility to the use of non-degreed line staff as a source of data that can aid in treatment decisions.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

An interacting systems model of infant habituation.

Habituation and related procedures are the primary behavioral tools used to assess perceptual and cognitive competence in early infancy. This article introduces a neurally constrained computational model of infant habituation. The model combines the two leading process theories of infant habituation into a single functional system that is grounded in functional brain circuitry. The HAB model (for Habituation, Autoassociation, and Brain) proposes that habituation behaviors emerge from the opponent, complementary processes of hippocampal selective inhibition and cortical long-term potentiation. Simulations of a seminal experiment by Fantz [Visual experience in infants: Decreased attention familiar patterns relative to novel ones. Science, 146, 668-670, 1964] are reported. The ability of the model to capture the fine detail of infant data (especially age-related changes in performance) underlines the useful contribution of neurocomputational models to our understanding of behavior in general, and of early cognition in particular.

Habituation, Psychophysiologic↗
PubMed2002

Ant-dipping among the chimpanzees of Bossou, Guinea, and some comparisons with other sites.

We present a detailed study of ant-dipping among the wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of Bossou, in southeastern Guinea, West Africa. Observations suggest a strong influence of prey (Dorylusspp.) characteristics, including aggressiveness and/or gregariousness, on tool length and technique employed by the chimpanzees. Bossou chimpanzees exhibit two ant-dipping techniques: 1) direct mouthing, and 2) pull-through. In addition, they were observed dipping for several species of Dorylus ants, classed into two categories: Red and Black. Tool length was longer when dipping in higher-risk contexts, i.e., at the ants' nest site or on Black ants. The pull-through technique was almost exclusively associated with dipping at the nest site. This latter technique was associated with tools over 50 cm long, whereas direct mouthing was the only technique observed with tools < 50 cm long. Our experimental findings, together with our observations on the behavior of the chimpanzees, suggest that at the nest, the pull-through technique was a more efficient technique than direct mouthing. We review our results in the context of ant-dipping observed at two other long-term chimpanzee study sites, i.e., Gombe (Tanzania) and Taï (Côte d'Ivoire), where differences in tool length, technique used, and focal Dorylus ant species have been reported. Finally, we urge similar detailed studies of this tool-use behavior in both Gombe and Taï to shed further light upon our results and their implications.

Aggression↗
PubMed2004

New perspectives in primate cognitive ecology.

The papers in this issue are from a symposium presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists held in Buffalo, New York, in April 2002. In the light of recent theoretical and methodological advances and debates in the study of cognition, this symposium addressed questions concerning primate cognitive ecology and decision-making from a variety of perspectives. These include ontogenetic patterns of brain growth and learning, paleoecology and evolution, sensory adaptations, foraging strategies, tool-using behavior, and concepts derived from the study of human cognition, such as schemata, planning, and rehearsal of activities. In this issue, data are presented on New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, apes, and humans. It is argued that the ability to make decisions based on the recognition that tertiary relationships in one context can be used to understand cause-and-effect relationships in an unrelated context may enable nonhuman primates to effectively reduce uncertainty and solve problems in changing social and ecological environments.

Animals↗