User:Crysgarcia/Spider monkey

Studying Primate Cognition in a Social Setting

In order to successfully study the minds of primates, it is ideal to observe them in an environment that has not been tampered with. However, most information to date about primate cognition has come from laboratory research. A 16 year article search was conducted by Katherine A. Cronin and it was discovered that majority of the publications were tested in the field and the rest were conducted either in a lab or in a captive facility. Often, researchers will study primates in a setting where variables are controlled because it reduces the chances or predation, competition, and cancels the challenges the species would encounter naturally. Therefore, it eliminates the possibility of the sample size dying off before the experiment is completed. Cronin emphasizes four different strategies to ensure that each individual that is observed in a natural setting gets equal representation. The first strategy is creating obstacles that allow everyone access to. The second is to deliver a task to the sample group and observe how the species interacts with it naturally. The third is leaving the presented task in one location for an extended period of time, allowing for lower rank individuals to interact with it once the higher ranking primates have had enough. Last but not least, the fourth strategy requires for a device to be left in a space where it is easily accessed and rewards are given based on the completion of the assigned task.