Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

2015. 08. 03
Affiliation/Position
NamePrimate Research Institute/D1
Duncan Wilson

1. Country/location of visit
Kyoto University Primate Research Institute and Kagamigahara Ranch in Inuyama, Japan
2. Research project
Comparative Cognitive Science course.
3. Date (departing from/returning to Japan)
2015. 04. 01 - 2015. 07. 31 (4 months)
4. Main host researcher and affiliation
Prof. Masaki Tomonaga (Primate Research Institute)
5. Progress and results of your research/activity (You can attach extra pages if needed)
Please insert one or more pictures (to be publicly released). Below each picture, please provide a brief description.

Aim: To learn the basis of comparative cognitive science. Understand the procedures in cognitive
experimentation and behavioural observation. Work with chimpanzees and horses.
Note: As I am a first year PhD/PWS student in Prof. Tomonaga’s comparative cognition
laboratory, daily participation in experiments was regarded as suitable practice for this course.
Therefore, my report will focus on my observations working with chimpanzees and horses fromApril to July, 2015.
Chimpanzees: In my first few months at the Primate Research Institute, I learnt how to conductcognitive experiments with chimpanzees. The experimental procedure is largely automated; acomputer programme is used to present stimuli on a touch screen and collect raw data, anduniversal feeders provide the chimpanzees with food rewards for correct responses. The
advantage of this automated system is that it maximizes the accuracy and reliability of the results,and minimizes experimenter bias.
The procedure involves preparing, weighing and placing food rewards (diced apples) into theuniversal feeders and loading up the relevant computer programmes. Next, the chimpanzees are
tempted into the experimental booth from the indoor holding area using extra food or water. Onceinside the booths, the chimpanzees are rewarded again and must touch a start button on the screen
to begin the first trial in a session (this ensures they are ready to attend to the stimulus
presentation). Current research includes: learning the basic rules of the ‘Rock, Scissors, Paper’
game, sequence counting, visual search with a central visual distractor, and discriminating circle
size and dot density. A correct answer results in a high pitched tone and a piece of apple, whichdrops down a tube for the chimpanzee to eat (positive reinforcement), and an incorrect answer
results in no-reward and a low pitched buzzer (negative punishment). There are usually threedifferent experiments run during a session, which typically lasts 45-60 minutes for eachchimpanzee. Often the chimpanzees are required to reach a certain level of accuracy, e.g. 80-90%correct responses before the training stage is complete, or the next stage of the task can beintroduced. In order to maintain motivation during the tasks, the chimpanzees are rewarded withextra food (e.g. berries, peanuts, dried fish) during a set of trials, at the end of a set of trails, orbetween experiments. Once the chimpanzees have finished all the experiments, they are rewarded
with extra food again and allowed to return to their indoor enclosures.
I found it very interesting to see how the individual preferences of the chimpanzees areaccommodated during the experiments. For example, some chimpanzees prefer to be rewarded
with raisins instead of apples, some prefer to sit on a wooden pallet, some prefer to have the door
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Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

to the experimental booth open, and some prefer to have the drainage hole in the experimental
booth closed. The most challenging aspect of conducting cognitive experiments withchimpanzees is understanding how best to motivate them to take part in the experiments. Levelsof motivation and participation often change between and within sessions. Sometimes they will
refuse to enter the booth, sometimes they will enter the booth but refuse to engage with thecomputer, and sometimes they will concentrate fully on the experiments from start to finish.
There are many factors which could be affecting motivation levels such as; temperature, level ofhunger, the estrous cycle, personality, intrinsic interest in the task, prior social interactions withconspecifics, testing alone or with another chimpanzee, and the presence of different
experimenters, etc., and so it is very challenging to isolate the precise reasons for lack ofmotivation/participation. The most commonly employed strategies used by the staff to increase
motivation are calling the chimpanzees names, giving vocal encouragement during the task, andoffering food rewards of high value, with varying degrees of success.
Horses: I also had the chance to visit the Kagamigahara Ranch in Inuyama to see thecomparative cognitive experiments with horses and ponies. The experiments were still at an earlystage of development in terms of testing cognitive abilities, but it was interesting to see how thesetup with the chimpanzees (e.g. universal feeder and touch screen) have been adapted for use
with equines. The equines had to use the touch screen to choose the larger of two circles in a size
discrimination task. They used their noses to touch the screen, and a food reward (a piece ofcarrot) dropped down into a bowl positioned below the screen after a correct response. A bracket
was placed across the screen to prevent the equines from licking across the surface and causing
errors in response recording. Based on the preliminary results, it seems that the horses are not as
good at the size discrimination task as chimpanzees. However, it may be more difficult forequines to judge size discrimination on a screen placed directly in front of them (equines haveeyes on the side of their heads). Perhaps additional screens to the left and right, or a curved
screen, would make the visual discrimination task results more comparable with those ofchimpanzees. I look forward to seeing how the cognitive experiments with equines progress inthe future.
Overall, my first few months in the comparative cognition laboratory have been both challengingand rewarding. I now feel more knowledgeable and confident about conducting cognitive
experiments with chimpanzees, and look forward to starting my own experiments in the nearfuture.
6. Others

Ai and Ayumu inside the experimental booth.

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Universal feeders filled with diced apples.

2014.05.27

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

Experiment monitoring system featuring

Cleo using a touch screen to gain food rewards‘Rock, Scissors, Paper’ game.

(pieces of apples).

Universal feeder, computer and touch screen.

A horse using a touch screen to choose the larger of
two circles in a size discrimination task.

When the largest of the two circles is correctly

An outdoor training session.

identified a food reward drops down into a bowl.

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