Background & Aims

Cognition is a field that mainly focuses on great apes like chimpanzees and orangutans, leaving much to be discovered about other primate taxa. Therefore, I decided to employ three cognitive tests, previously performed with great apes, with Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), members of the lower primate (Strepsirrhini) suborder and White-faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia), members of the new world monkey (Platyrrhini) parvorder.

The three tests evaluate if both species are capable of the following cognitive abilities:

Object permanence: Understanding that an objects exists while out of view.​

Visual associative learning: Making a connection between a visual stimulus and its outcome.​

Visual stimulus reversal learning: The relationship of stimulus and outcome is reversed, requiring the individual to create a novel association.​