Sequential recall of meaningful and arbitrary sequences by orangutans and human children: Does content matter?

Abstract

Do visual cues such as size, color, and number facilitate sequential recall in orangutans and human children? In Experiment 1, children and adult orangutans solved two types of sequences, arbitrary (unrelated pictures) and meaningful (pictures varied along a spectrum according to the size, color, or number of items shown), in a touchscreen paradigm. It was found that visual cues did not increase the percentage of correct responses for either children or orangutans. In order to demonstrate that the failure to spontaneously seriate along these dimensions was not due to a general inability to perceive the dimensions nor to an inability to seriate items, in Experiment 2, orangutans were trained on one type of sequence and tested on novel sequences organized according to the same rule (i.e., pictures varied on the number spectrum only). The orangutans performed significantly better on novel meaningful sequences in this task than on novel arbitrary sequences. These results indicate that, while orangutans and human children share the ability to learn how to order items according to their size, color, or number, both orangutans and humans lack a cognitive propensity to spontaneously (i.e., without prior training or enculturation) order multiple items by size, color, or number.

A review of zoo‐based cognitive research using touchscreen interfaces

“…We join others who advocate for a growth in comparative studies, where similar protocols are used to study different species, to better understand the phylogenic underpinnings of specific processes. Although some studies have taken advantage of the opportunity to study human subjects in zoo settings (Marsh, Spetch, & MacDonald, ; Pope, Meguerditchian, Hopkins, & Fagot, ; Renner, Price, & Subiaul, ; Subiaul, Vonk, & Rutherford, ; Whitehouse et al, ), there are relatively very few studies that explore human subjects, especially with the opportunity to study humans in comparison to the other taxa available in zoos, as well as the wide variety of age groups that routinely visit zoos across the country (Hopper, ; MacDonald & Ritvo, ). While zoos studies are bolstered by the variety in taxa, a recurring critique is the use of relatively small sample sizes for research studies.…”

What’s Special about Human Imitation? A Comparison with Enculturated Apes

“…Context novelty—specifically, experimental context—is novel when: (a) tasks and experimental procedures involve novel actions, responses and/or novel objects (defined above); (b) responses are not causally yoked to previous responses, where one response necessitates the other (i.e., task lack “enabling relations” [ 77 , 78 , 79 ]); and (c) specific responses or task features have not been previously reinforced. For instance, Subiaul and colleagues, tested rhesus monkeys [ 80 ], orangutans [ 81 , 82 ], and preschool age human children [ 46 , 54 , 55 , 83 , 84 ] on a computerized serial learning task or “cognitive task” [ 85 ] that requires participants to touch individual picture items on a touchscreen—corresponding to distinct objects—in a specific order. From trial to trial, objects change spatial location, preventing subjects from learning a specific motor or spatial response.…”

Neural responses when learning spatial and object sequencing tasks via imitation

“…Two touchscreen-based tasks used previously with typically developing children and children with autism [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 14 ] and with non-human primates [ 8 , 10 , 11 , 29 ] were adapted so that participants could respond with a joystick in an fMRI scanner.…”

“…Our present project draws heavily on a detailed series of studies of how children [ 4 – 7 ] and non-human primates including monkeys [ 8 , 9 ] and orangutans [ 10 ] learn sequences on their own and from others. The two tasks used in this study, previously implemented in behavioural studies on touch-sensitive screens, test participants’ ability to learn and execute sequences governed by different underlying rules.…”

“…In particular, we aim to test whether imitation (as opposed to emulation or other forms of vicarious learning) in the cognitive and spatial tasks relies on different neural substrate(s). In this study, we adapt the cognitive and spatial sequencing tasks previously used with children and non-human primates [ 8 – 10 ] to be suitable for an fMRI environment. In every version of the sequencing tasks, participants must observe, remember, and then execute via joystick the selection of three items in a target sequence on a screen ( Fig 1 ).…”