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Visual Field Information in the Face Perception of Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes )
Author(s) -
PLOTNIK JOSHUA,
NELSON PETER A.,
WAAL FRANS B. M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1280.020
Subject(s) - troglodytes , perception , face (sociological concept) , visual perception , psychology , communication , cognitive psychology , geography , biology , zoology , neuroscience , philosophy , linguistics
A bstract : Evidence for a visual field advantage (VFA) in the face perception of chimpanzees was investigated using a modification of a free‐vision task. Four of six chimpanzee subjects previously trained on a computer joystick match‐to‐sample paradigm were able to distinguish between images of neutral face chimeras consisting of two left sides (LL) or right sides (RR) of the face. While an individual's ability to make this distinction would be unlikely to determine their suitability for the VFA tests, it was important to establish that distinctive information was available in test images. Data were then recorded on their choice of the LL vs. RR chimera as a match to the true, neutral image; a bias for one of these options would indicate an hemispatial visual field advantage. Results suggest that chimpanzees, unlike humans, do not exhibit a left visual field advantage. These results have important implications for studies on laterality and asymmetry in facial signals and their perception in primates.