Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) lack expertise in face processing. 2008

Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. parr@rmy.emory.edu

Faces are salient stimuli for primates that rely predominantly on visual cues for recognizing conspecifics and maintaining social relationships. While previous studies have shown similar face discrimination processes in chimpanzees and humans, data from monkeys are unclear. Therefore, three studies examined face processing in rhesus monkeys using the face inversion effect, a fractured face task, and an individual recognition task. Unlike chimpanzees and humans, the monkeys showed a general face inversion effect reflected by significantly better performance on upright compared to inverted faces (conspecifics, human and chimpanzees faces) regardless of the subjects' expertise with those categories. Fracturing faces alters first- and second-order configural manipulations whereas previous studies in chimpanzees showed selective deficits for second-order configural manipulations. Finally, when required to individuate conspecific's faces, i.e., matching two different photographs of the same conspecific, monkeys showed poor discrimination and repeated training. These results support evolutionary differences between rhesus monkeys and Hominoids in the importance of configural cues and their ability to individuate conspecifics' faces, suggesting a lack of face expertise in rhesus monkeys.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008253 Macaca mulatta A species of the genus MACACA inhabiting India, China, and other parts of Asia. The species is used extensively in biomedical research and adapts very well to living with humans. Chinese Rhesus Macaques,Macaca mulatta lasiota,Monkey, Rhesus,Rhesus Monkey,Rhesus Macaque,Chinese Rhesus Macaque,Macaca mulatta lasiotas,Macaque, Rhesus,Rhesus Macaque, Chinese,Rhesus Macaques,Rhesus Macaques, Chinese,Rhesus Monkeys
D008297 Male Males
D009949 Orientation Awareness of oneself in relation to time, place and person. Cognitive Orientation,Mental Orientation,Psychological Orientation,Cognitive Orientations,Mental Orientations,Orientation, Cognitive,Orientation, Mental,Orientation, Psychological,Orientations,Orientations, Cognitive,Orientations, Mental,Orientations, Psychological,Psychological Orientations
D010364 Pattern Recognition, Visual Mental process to visually perceive a critical number of facts (the pattern), such as characters, shapes, displays, or designs. Recognition, Visual Pattern,Visual Pattern Recognition
D010469 Perceptual Distortion Lack of correspondence between the way a stimulus is commonly perceived and the way an individual perceives it under given conditions. Distortion, Perceptual,Distortions, Perceptual,Perceptual Distortions
D010470 Perceptual Masking The interference of one perceptual stimulus with another causing a decrease or lessening in perceptual effectiveness. Masking, Perceptual,Maskings, Perceptual,Perceptual Maskings
D004193 Discrimination Learning Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli. Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D005075 Biological Evolution The process of cumulative change over successive generations through which organisms acquire their distinguishing morphological and physiological characteristics. Evolution, Biological
D005145 Face The anterior portion of the head that includes the skin, muscles, and structures of the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, and jaw. Faces
D005260 Female Females

Related Publications

Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
April 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
February 1970, The British veterinary journal,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
July 2008, Animal cognition,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
February 1974, Fertility and sterility,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
May 2011, Animal cognition,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
January 1969, Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
January 1984, Veterinary pathology,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
July 1994, Journal of medical primatology,
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
November 2012, Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983),
Lisa A Parr, and Matthew Heintz, and Gauri Pradhan
September 1940, Science (New York, N.Y.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!