Partner Coordination in Relation to Reward Cost on a Computerized Task in a Social Group of Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) Open Access
Roberts, Rebecca (Fall 2019)
Abstract
We manipulated how monkeys were rewarded at two interconnected touch-screen computer kiosks continuously available in their home enclosure to provide less expensive rewards (FR1) when two monkeys participated together at the kiosks and more expensive (FR10), or no, rewards when monkeys participated alone. Our goal was to determine if rhesus monkeys can learn the contingency between a partner’s participation at an adjacent kiosk and reward outcome. We examined whether monkeys’ partnered behavior (two monkeys working at the kiosks) increased when partnered trials, where two monkeys were logged-in and working at the kiosks at the same time, were rewarded on FR1, and solo trials, where only one monkey was logged-in and working, were rewarded on FR10 or not at all. We also examined how the monkeys engaged in partnered behavior during these conditions to determine the extent to which they learned the contingency. 14 young rhesus monkeys were given voluntary access to the computer kiosks and freedom of partner choice. Monkeys significantly increased partnered behavior during conditions when partnered trials produced less expensive rewards than conditions when partnered and solo trial rewards did not differ. Certain types of partnered behavior, such as participating at the kiosks within close temporal proximity of a partner after refraining from solo participation, were also significantly higher when partnered trials were less expensive. Rhesus monkeys are able to learn the contingency between a partner’s participation and reward outcome, and actively adjust their behavior to maximize rewards using this contingency.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Defining and Assessing Cooperation 2
Cooperation in Rhesus Monkeys 8
Current Study 12
Methods 15
Study Design Overview 15
Subjects 16
RfID Tag Implantation 17
Apparatus and Materials 17
Apparatus Exploration 19
Data Collection Timeline 19
Experimental Design 19
Software overview 19
Kiosk training 20
Fixed-ratio reward training 21
Partner coordination 22
Condition 1 24
Condition 2 24
Condition 3 25
Condition 4 26
Condition 5 27
Condition 6 27
Condition 7 28
Data Extraction and Analysis 28
Results 32
Overall Descriptive Data 32
Condition Effects 32
Mean trial types across conditions (Appendix) 32
Proportion of partnered trials 33
Proportion of partnered trials with dual activation 35
Proportion of partnered trials without dual activation 37
Partnered bouts 38
Partnered bouts with dual activation 39
Partnered bouts without dual activation 41
Average solo trials completed prior to partnered bouts without dual activation 42
Proportion of solo bouts that end in partnered trials 45
Duration of partnered bouts 46
Duration of partnered bouts with dual activation 47
Duration of partnered bouts without dual activation 48
Removing the secondary color cue 48
Performance by individual 49
Dyads 50
Discussion 51
References 69
Tables 73
Figures 75
Appendix 95
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Partner Coordination in Relation to Reward Cost on a Computerized Task in a Social Group of Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) () | 2019-11-22 13:19:18 -0500 |
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