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A computer touch screen system and training procedure for use with primate infants: Results from pigtail monkeys ( Macaca nemestrina )
Author(s) -
Mandell Dorothy J.,
Sackett Gene P.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20251
Subject(s) - macaca nemestrina , primate , psychology , perception , cognition , stimulus (psychology) , developmental psychology , neuroscience , cognitive psychology , macaque
Computerized cognitive and perceptual testing has resulted in many advances towards understanding adult brain–behavior relations across a variety of abilities and species. However, there has been little migration of this technology to the assessment of very young primate subjects. We describe a training procedure and software that was developed to teach infant monkeys to interact with a touch screen computer. Eighteen infant pigtail macaques began training at 90‐postnatal days and five began at 180‐postnatal days. All animals were trained to reliably touch a stimulus presented on a computer screen and no significant differences were found between the two age groups. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using computers to assess cognitive and perceptual abilities early in development. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 160–170, 2008.