Projects
Current on-site projects include research on:
Symbolic/mathmatical reasoning (Erin Colbert-White)
Inducing traditions (Jessica Crast)
Visual Attention (Jessica Crast)
Social Facilitation of Work (Jessica Crast)
Spatial Navigation (Allison Eury)
Drawing and categorization via touchscreen use (Tephi Jeyaraj)
Vigilence and Kinematics in nut cracking (Freya Liu)
Spatial planning in maze navigation (Jing Pan)
Perception of emotional facial expressions (Liz Simpson)
Effects of social relevancy on sound perception (Liz Simpson)
Emotion-related thermographic changes of the face (Liz Simpson)
Spatial and relational reasoning (Brian Stone)
Communication at a distance using a laser pointer (Brian Stone)
Current field projects include:
Stone tool use in Bearded Capuchins in Piauí, Brazil (Qing Liu
Collaborating Research Labs:
Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, USA
Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Altanta, USA
Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, National University of Singapore
Japan's National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo University, Japan
Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan
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Erin Colbert-White is currently working on two projects. The first is an investigation of capuchins' ability to assign numerical values to arbitrary tokens. In it, the monkeys are asked to not only comprehend the token values, but to also manipulate them and choose pairs of tokens that sum to the highest quantity. The second project is a continuation of work done with a language-trained African grey parrot. Grammatical structure and the social aspects of the parrot's vocalizations will be examined.
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Jessica Crast's current projects include a study on visual attention to conspecifics in a feeding context and social learning mechanisms underlying the development and induction of behavioral traditions in captive social groups of capuchins.
Jessica's dissertation project concerns the social facilitation of work on a foraging task. Part of her dissertation was done in collaboration with Dr. Charles Menzel at the Georgia State University Langauge Research Center. |
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Allison Eury is currently working on an experiment investigating the monkeys' abilities to choose efficient routes between simulated foraging patches in the lab. The monkeys use a laser pointer apparatus to indicate desired foods from a distance. The routes the laser dot travels between a series of these desired foods are being analyzed for a route-minimizing strategy. This experiment is a variation on the Traveling Salesman Problem, a problem intensely investigated in the fields of computer science and mathematics. |
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Tephilla Jeyaraj is involved with several projects concerning drawing abilities and discrimination/ categorization in capuchins using a touchscreen monitor.
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Qing (Freya) Liu studies how capuchin monkeys use hammer stones and anvils to crack nuts in the laboratory and in Piauí, Brazil. This project concerns how the monkeys select nuts, hammers, and anvils; the development of skill in using hammers to crack nuts, and the kinematic properties of skilled action during hammering.
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Jing Pan is continuing research on
planning abilities in capuchin monkeys. This study examined the errors made by capuchins as they used a joystick to navigate through a series of two-dimensional computer mazes. These mazes varied in terms of the number of possible choices and the perceived difficulty of these choices. The effects of maze characteristics and experience on performance were examined. |
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Elizabeth Simpson's Master's Thesis examined the perception of facial expressions from a comparative perspective in capuchin and human participants. Response latencies and durations were recorded in a choice task with photos of monkey and human facial expressions, varying in valance (positive, negative, and neutral).
In related projects with collaborators Dr. Annett Schirmer and Nicolas Escoffier, now at the National University of Singapore, Elizabeth used ERPs in humans to examine whether a change in sound intensity is processed differently depending on its social relevance.
Elizabeth is also utilizing an infrared thermographic system to measure emotion-related temperature changes in collaboration with Dr. Katsuki Nakamura and Dr. Koji Kuraoka, at Japan's National Institute of Neuroscience.
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Brian Stone is continuing research on managing spatial relations in captive capuchin monkeys and chimpanzees, currently studying how performance is affected by additional asymmetrical features.
Brian is also working with capuchins on a project involving reasoning, manipulation and communication at a distance using a laser pointer. |
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