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Laterality of Hand Function in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys ( Cebus apella ): Comparison between Tool Use Actions and Spontaneous Non‐tool Actions
Author(s) -
Westergaard Gregory Charles,
Kuhn Heather E.,
Suomi Stephen J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1998.tb00056.x
Subject(s) - hand preference , laterality , preference , psychology , population , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , mathematics , statistics , demography , sociology
This study examined hand preference for tool use and spontaneous non‐tool actions in tufted capuchin monkeys ( Cebus apella ). We noted a lack of lateral bias across measures, and greater strength of hand preference for tool use than for self‐directed or feeding activities. Animals that used tools exhibited a population‐level right‐hand bias for self‐touching whereas animals that did not use tools exhibited a lack of lateral bias for this measure. Our findings are consistent with views that hand preference is expressed more strongly for tool use than for non‐tool activities, and that lateral bias for self‐directed behavior is related to problem‐solving skills in primates.