Date of Award
5-8-2020
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Michael Beran
Abstract
Cognitive bias refers to the influence of affective state on the interpretation of ambiguous stimuli and has been used to assess emotional state in nonhuman animals. The current study assessed cognitive bias in 12 brown-tufted capuchin monkeys using three distinct computerized psychophysical tasks and a novel manipulation to affect that involved giving moneys gelatin foods that tasted either pleasant or unpleasant. In addition, monkeys were trained on several positive and negative training cues. Results showed that food type was not a factor in monkeys’ responses to ambiguous stimuli. Behavioral observation during test sessions revealed the unpleasant food may have acted as a form of enrichment, thereby providing the monkeys with two pleasant activities prior to assessments of their emotional states. Further, results indicated that monkeys displayed a preference for the positive response class when classifying the ambiguous probe, but that this preference was subject to both task and individual differences.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/17543634
Recommended Citation
French, Kristin, "The Assessment of Cognitive Bias in Capuchin Monkeys Using a Computerized Task." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2020.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/17543634
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