Journal of Comparative Psychology最新文献

We describe an as yet unidentified bias relevant to comparative cognition research: WEIRD-centrism. This bias leads us to take as the gold standard the practices, capacities, or concepts of WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) humans, that is, humans who grew up in WEIRD societies and whose behavior has been shaped by the influence of WEIRD cultural norms and practices. We identify how the bias impacts the study of practices, capacities, and concepts, and offer two suggestions for mitigating the bias. The first is to use what we are calling a multibaseline approach, which involves starting with constructs that come not from our experiences as humans, but from our growing understanding of other species. The second is to make use of philosophical analysis and conceptual engineering, which includes identifying minimal concepts of psychological capacities as well as a dimensional approach that depicts the many ways in which a capacity can be instantiated. We hope that these tools will allow us to better understand the similarities and differences both within and between species. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Touch has a significant impact on the development of infant primates, but it is still understudied. Little is reported, for example, about the effect of infants' touch on their environment and social development. In this study, we sought to fill this gap by investigating the touch of capuchin monkey (Sapajus libidinosus) infants on the faces of other individuals in the group. We followed eight wild infants (four females and four males) across their first 3 years of life and assessed whether this behavior is part of the social repertoire and whether it facilitates facial recognition. We coded all social events of the infants in 127.3 hr of video recorded weekly from birth until 36 months, through daily focal sampling. We recorded motor patterns of the behavior, the context, the partner touched, and the partners' response to each infant face touching. We found that touching was always associated with affiliative contexts. Infant face touching of other group members was associated with lipsmacking and grooming, consistently involving visual contact and exploration of the face by the infant's hand. In this species, face touching also occurred in response to engagement initiated by the touched individual, potentially signaling reciprocity in affiliative interactions and serving as a pleasurable gesture. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

In humans, a mental state of flow--an interesting phenomenon driven by intrinsic motivation (e.g., Hintze & Yee, 2023) in which a state of settlement in an activity is perceived as rewarding--requires a careful balance between skill and challenge throughout the activity (van der Linden et al, 2021). A mental state of flow may also explain some animal activities such as, for example, some patterns of play (Burghardt, 2010; Held & Špinka, 2011; Hintze & Yee, 2023) or exploration for the sake of exploring (see interest; Kashdan et al., 2018; but not exploration to reduce anxiety states caused by knowledge gaps; e.g., Löewenstein, 1994). Perhaps most of all, it could help to explain some instances of contrafreeloading in animals. Contrafreeloading is defined as a preference to deliberately invest work to obtain an extrinsic reward that is also freely available (Inglis et al., 1997). Notably, to be explained by flow, contrafreeloading needs to remain challenging to the animal. In this issue, Carroll and Pepperberg (see record 2025-20600-001) present a new study targeting contrafreeloading in four captive umbrella cockatoos, a large species known for their loud calls and their flamboyant display routines. The almost antioptimal foraging tendencies of captive parrots led researchers around Pepperberg to study them as avian models for contrafreeloading (e.g., Inzlichet et al, 2018; Inglis et al, 1997, de Jonge et al, 2008, Tarte et al, 1973). In the current study, prior to testing, the four Ss received two deshelled nuts as a choice to determine possible side biases in their choices. All had some side preferences. Thereafter, they received a choice between a shelled and a deshelled almond. The results were individually quite variable with two birds preferring deshelled almonds over shelled almonds. Nevertheless, one bird, Poly preferred shelled almonds over deshelled almonds at 70%. Moreover, all of the others chose the shelled nuts at least sometimes (one other bird at 60%). This is remarkable considering that, according to optimal foraging theory, they should always go after the effortless option. Large interindividual differences and small samples made it hard to draw strong conclusions at this point. With more zoos, sanctuaries, and laboratories joining large collaborative projects, testing the play hypothesis and/or playful flow in contrafreeloading across species may become more feasible soon. Understanding intrinsically rewarding routines, such as contrafreeloading and flow, has great potential to inform us on the optimization of enrichment and welfare routines in large-brained animals and thus promises to remain an exciting topic in comparative psychology in the forthcoming years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Maze studies have provided substantial information about nonhuman cognition, such as insights on navigational strategies, spatial memory, and choice discriminations. This knowledge can aid in how we understand the foraging strategies of many animals, particularly understudied and endangered species, such as the Guatemalan beaded lizard (Heloderma charlesbogerti). These actively foraging lizards rely on chemoreception to locate prey, but it is unknown to what extent they engage in olfaction and vomerolfaction to hunt and navigate their environment. We investigated how Guatemalan beaded lizards moved through a physical maze. When navigating an eight-arm radial maze with all arms baited, lizards tended to turn into the immediately adjacent arm in a single direction, similar to other reptiles that have been tested in radial arm mazes. In a T-maze, the lizards had to discriminate between arms that contained scent and no-scent from a distance. They were generally unable to choose the baited (correct) arm at levels greater than chance, indicating an inability for this discrimination. With the addition of a scent trail, however, all lizards chose the baited arm at levels significantly above chance, and this increased accuracy was correlated with increased latency to make the arm choice. The lizards also demonstrated a decreased rate of tongue flicking as proximity to reward increased. Guatemalan beaded lizards can efficiently navigate a radial arm maze and can successfully use vomerolfaction with substrate-borne cues to locate prey, but they appear to have minimal olfaction abilities when sensing from a distance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Contrafreeloading is defined as choosing to perform work to obtain a reward, despite the presence of an identical, freely available alternative. According to standard learning and optimal foraging theories, it should not exist. Thus, any evidence of such behavior is noteworthy. We briefly review the recently introduced play hypothesis, which proposes that contrafreeloading is more likely if the action involved is viewed as play rather than work (i.e., agreeable rather than aversive). One might consequently expect species that are relatively more playful to be more likely to engage in contrafreeloading. We evaluated this possibility by testing purportedly playful umbrella cockatoos (Cacatua alba); we studied four residents of a bird sanctuary in upstate New York (Dudley, JJ, Poly, and Teddy Bear). The task involved choosing between shelled and deshelled almonds; the former choice constituting evidence of contrafreeloading. We documented contrafreeloading in a novel species and then compared our results with previously published data on the reportedly less playful Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). Individually, a higher percentage of cockatoos engaged in contrafreeloading on more than half the trials than did the Greys, with statistically similar levels of individual variation, but the overall amount of contrafreeloading was not statistically significantly different between the species at a group level. We discuss possible reasons for these findings. Additionally, we examine similarities in the behavioral expression of play and contrafreeloading. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Many parrot species exhibit a high degree of limb lateralization on both the individual and species levels. In particular, the members of the cockatoo family are left-footed for food-holding at proportions reminiscent of right-handedness in humans. Here, we examine the limb lateralization of the Goffin's cockatoo (Cacatua goffiniana), a tool-using and technically proficient species used as a model of parrot cognition. First, we investigated the postural origins theory, originally proposed in primates to explain handedness. According to this theory, the hand that was used by ancestral primates to cling to trees developed finer motor control. Using a series of problem-solving tasks, we tested the possibility that the parrot's postural foot, which is similarly used to grasp tree branches, could be more motorically skilled. Although we did not find support for this idea, we did discover that task type does affect foot use, as subjects switched from using their food-holding dominant foot to their other foot during reaching tasks. We also found that the cockatoos more flexibly switched and used both feet when faced with more challenging tasks. Secondly, we attempted a partial replication of a previous study with parrots derived from the enhanced cognition hypothesis, which claimed that more lateralized individuals were better problem solvers. However, we did not find this relationship to be significant in any of our tasks. We did confirm that individual Goffin's cockatoos are extremely limb lateralized for food-holding in addition to other tasks, which may play a role in their approaches to problem-solving. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Surface chemical cues from prey elicit elevated levels of tongue-flicking and striking behavior in many species of snakes and lizards. These responses are mediated by the vomeronasal system, and they may even occur in the absence of other sensory cues. How individuals of a species respond to prey chemical cues can reflect developmental, ecological, and evolutionary processes. Our focus in this study was ecologically based, and involved testing whether levels of chemosensory responding reflect the putative relative intake of prey types in nature. We tested 11 wild-caught adult gopher snakes (Pituophis catenifer) for their chemosensory responses, namely tongue flicking, in response to surface chemicals of natural prey items (rodent and bird) and to two control stimuli (distilled water and hexane). On average the snakes had significantly higher rates of tongue flicking toward prey cues than to control stimuli (p = .001). Responses to rodent and bird surface chemicals did not significantly differ from each other (p = .35). Tongue-flick responses to rodent surface chemicals were significantly higher than to both water and hexane (ps < .01), while responses to bird surface chemicals were significantly higher than to water (p < .05) but not to hexane (p = .12). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Utilizing Automated Cognitive Testing Systems (ACTS) with group-housed nonhuman primates offers a number of advantages over manual testing and computerized testing of singly housed subjects. To date, ACTS usage has been limited to great apes or African monkeys. Here, we detail what we have learned while implementing ACTS with socially housed squirrel monkeys and rhesus macaques and provide information about the training process. In addition, we examined the effects of age on learning acquisition. We found age differences in learning for both squirrel monkeys and rhesus monkeys. Older monkeys were not as proficient as younger monkeys on learning to use the touch screens (squirrel monkeys only), discrimination learning (rhesus monkeys only; note: squirrel monkeys were not trained to criterion on this task), and recognition learning (both species). Overall, ACTS provide a number of advantages for studying cognition in socially living nonhuman primates and can be used to further investigate cognitive decline whether related to natural aging processes or disease pathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Decreasing responsiveness to repeated visual stimuli (i.e., the inability to sustain attention) in jumping spiders (Salticidae) parallels that found in humans. In humans, drugs affect vigilance, and previous work on salticids has shown that the "vigilance decrement" is unlikely to be sensory habituation and that caffeine ameliorates reductions in attention. We exposed Trite planiceps to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and methamphetamine before presenting them with a repeated visual stimulus. In the THC experiment, spiders were given a THC solution, water, or a vehicle solution, using a within-subjects design. The orienting response (i.e., "interest") of salticids on a track ball to face a fly stimulus presented peripherally on a monitor was scored, as well as "general movement" (e.g., walking, as a control for physical fatigue) and "no movement." The methamphetamine experiment was identical except that salticids were given methamphetamine solution or water. In both the THC and methamphetamine treatments, general movement dropped over time, while in control treatments, this was constant. Additionally, due to an initial stimulating effect of methamphetamine on interest, the response decrement was significantly steeper when spiders were administered methamphetamine compared with water. Our results suggest that the modulation of sustained attention, and possibly motivation, is likely in salticids. basic local alignment search tool genome queries on a closely related species and pharmacological radioligand experiments suggested that salticids do not possess cannabinoid receptors, but the presence of transient receptor potential proteins may help explain the small behavioral changes observed with THC. In contrast, how methamphetamine affects salticids remains unknown. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Motivation influences essential behaviors for survival and well-being, driven by internal and external factors. By observing behaviors, we can understand motivational needs, decision-making processes, and preferences. Food acquisition is a survival motivator that covers a great part of daily activities, in contrast, play behavior shares a common basis with predation and social interactions. In the domestic cat, vocalizations, particularly the meow, are an acoustic signal expressing motivational and emotional states and are correlated to specific contexts, especially in cat-human interactions. This study investigated how contexts influenced meowing under two motivational conditions: feeding and play. Employing the synchronous citizen science approach, 48 guardians interacted with their cats as the researcher remotely recorded procedures involving presenting a feeder or toy and restricting access for 60 s. During the restriction periods, the cats could see and smell but not reach the stimulus. The condition influenced the frequency of meowing: they meowed significantly more in the feeding condition than in the play condition, suggesting a link between meowing frequency and the motivational context of eating, a crucial survival context. The food presentation likely influenced their motivation to vocalize. During feeding restriction, cats exhibited a significantly higher gazing at the guardian and gazing while meowing, suggesting the potential use of bimodal signals (visual and vocal) to enhance communication. In the play restriction condition, higher contact behaviors indicated a physical response to regain access, highlighting the play's social and motivational aspects. These findings help clarify contexts that motivate cats' vocalizations, aiding our understanding of their vocal communication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).