期刊名称：International Journal of Comparative Psychology
印刷版ISSN：0889-3667
出版年度：2013
卷号：26
期号：4
页码：256-266
出版社：University of California Press
摘要：Self-control is a prerequisite for complex cognitive processes such as cooperation and planning.As such, comparative studies of self-control may help elucidate the evolutionary origin of these capacities.A variety of methods have been developed to test for self-control in non-human primates that include some variation of foregoing an immediate reward in order to gain a more favorable reward.We used a token exchange paradigm to test for self-control in capuchin monkeys ( Cebus apella ).Animals were trained that particular tokens could be exchanged for food items worth different values.To test for self-control, a monkey was provided with a token that was associated with a lower-value food.When the monkey exchanged the token, the experimenter provided the monkey with a choice between the lower-value food item associated with the token or another token that was associated with a higher-value food.If the monkey chose the token, they could then exchange it for the higher-value food.Of seven monkeys trained to exchange tokens, five demonstrated that they attributed value to the tokens by differentially selecting tokens for higher-value foods over tokens for lower-value foods.When provided with a choice between a food item or a token for a higher-value food, two monkeys selected the token significantly more than expected by chance.The ability of capuchin monkeys to forego an immediate food reward and select a token that could then be traded for a more preferred food demonstrated some degree of self-control.Thus, results suggest a token exchange paradigm could be a successful technique for assessing self-control in this New World species.
