Capuchin monkeys (sometimes) go when they know: Confidence movements in Sapajus apella

Smith, Travis R.; Parrish, Audrey E.; Creamer, Courtney; Rossettie, Mattea S.; Beran, Michael J.

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104237

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…We hope that other researchers use the Ferrigno et al (2017) task in other species, such as chimpanzees, orangutans, and capuchin monkeys. Indeed, it would be interesting to see if the failures to demonstrate metacognition in some species, such as capuchin monkeys, are actually from overreliance on fluency (but see T. R. Smith et al, 2020). Indeed, we predict that chimpanzees, orangutans, and capuchin monkeys will show fluency effects and that these effects might be strongest in capuchin monkeys.…”

Section: Mechanisms Underlying Metacognitive Judgmentsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Over the past 20 years, this paradigm has demonstrated that at least some species of primate (rhesus monkeys, capuchin monkeys, gorillas, and orangutans) can successfully employ metacognition to improve their performance (Beran et al, 2006;E. K. Brown et al, 2019; T. R. Smith et al, 2020;Suda-King, 2008;Suda-King et al, 2013). It is worth noting that some theorists still prefer to explain the outcomes of these studies in terms of behavioral models, despite the exhaustive work that Smith and others have done to rule out nonmetacognitive explanations, including conditioning (see Carruthers, 2008;Crystal & Foote, 2009; and see Basile et al, 2015;J.…”

Section: Methods Of Studying Nonhuman Metacognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…R. Smith et al, 2018). In addition, capuchin monkeys show some evidence of accurate metacognition when they required to physically move through space to make a judgment, suggesting that when the test approximates their frenetic lives, they can show metacognition (T. R. Smith et al, 2020). Nonetheless, although both pigeons and capuchins have been dismissed as metacognitive species at one point or another, they perform better when they can opt out of difficult trials.…”

Section: Mechanisms Underlying Metacognitive Judgmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative Approaches to the Natural Ecology of Metacognition

Schwartz¹,

Pournaghdali²,

Hess³

2023

CCBR

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Most cognitive scientists assume that some, if not many, of our cognitive abilities evolved through natural selection. However, we lack the ability to assess causality concerning the natural selection processes that shaped human cognition. Elsewhere, we have argued that the road to understanding human cognitive evolution is through examining how natural ecology predicts changes in cognition across nonhuman species. However, this approach is not fully experimental, as it depends on the inferences that we make concerning correlations between natural ecology and behavior. The path to understanding human cognitive evolution is even more difficult when we consider that current functionality of our cognitive systems almost certainly does not entirely reflect their evolved functionality. Acknowledging the difficulty, we promote the view that we can understand natural selection of human cognition through the comparative study of animals and their natural ecology. In this article, we consider metacognition-the experience and knowledge of one's own cognitive system-as a case example. We review the research on human and nonhuman primate metacognition with an eye toward what the comparative approach can tell us about the trajectory of the evolution of human metacognition. We advocate for an approach to metacognition that makes hypotheses based on the natural ecology of species and then applies those hypotheses to a wide range of species.

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Section: Mechanisms Underlying Metacognitive Judgmentsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Methods Of Studying Nonhuman Metacognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mechanisms Underlying Metacognitive Judgmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Comparative Approaches to the Natural Ecology of Metacognition

Schwartz¹,

Pournaghdali²,

Hess³

2023

CCBR

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When does metacognition evolve in the opt-out paradigm?

Watson

2024

Anim Cogn

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Metacognition (awareness of one’s own knowledge) is taken for granted in humans, but its evolution in non-human animals is not well understood. While there is experimental evidence of seemingly metacognitive judgements across species, studies rarely focus on why metacognition may have evolved. To address this, I present an evolutionary model of the opt-out paradigm, a common experiment used to assess animal’s metacognition. Individuals are repeatedly presented with a task or problem and must decide between opting-out and receiving a fixed payoff or opting-in and receiving a larger reward if they successfully solve the task. Two evolving traits – bias and metacognition – jointly determine whether individuals opt-in. The task’s reward, the mean probability of success and the variability in success across trials, and the cost of metacognition were varied. Results identify two scenarios where metacognition evolves: (1) environments where success variability is high; and (2) environments where mean success is low, but rewards are high. Overall, the results support predictions implicating uncertainty in the evolution of metacognition but suggest metacognition may also evolve in conditions where metacognition can be used to identify cases where an otherwise inaccessible high payoff is easy to acquire.

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Metacognition in nonhuman primates: a review of current knowledge

Subias,

Katsu,

Yamada

2024

Primates

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Metacognition, the ability to monitor and control one’s own cognitive processes, has long been considered a hallmark of human cognition. However, two decades of research have provided compelling evidence of metacognitive-like abilities in some nonhuman primates. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the subject, highlighting key experimental paradigms and empirical findings, with an emphasis on the latest studies. Thanks to advances in methods and efforts to counter alternative explanations, there is now a consensus that great apes and some macaque species can monitor and control some of their cognitive processes. Despite numerous investigations, however, whether capuchin monkeys are metacognitive remains unclear. Critical gaps persist in our understanding of metacognition across species. We discuss the importance of expanding research to include a wider range of primate species and the potential role of ecological factors in shaping metacognitive capacities. In addition, we consider some promising avenues for future research, including neurophysiological approaches, studies of metacognitive errors, and field experiments.

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Capuchin monkeys (sometimes) go when they know: Confidence movements in Sapajus apella

Cited by 8 publications

References 56 publications

Comparative Approaches to the Natural Ecology of Metacognition

Comparative Approaches to the Natural Ecology of Metacognition

When does metacognition evolve in the opt-out paradigm?

Metacognition in nonhuman primates: a review of current knowledge

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