Monkeys can identify pictures from words.
Humans learn and incorporate cross-modal associations between auditory and visual objects (e.g., between a spoken word and a picture) into language. However, whether nonhuman primates can learn cross-modal associations between words and pictures remains uncertain. We trained two rhesus macaques in a...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317183 |
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| _version_ | 1849324028891758592 |
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| author | Elizabeth Cabrera-Ruiz Marlen Alva Mario Treviño Miguel Mata-Herrera José Vergara Tonatiuh Figueroa Javier Perez-Orive Luis Lemus |
| author_facet | Elizabeth Cabrera-Ruiz Marlen Alva Mario Treviño Miguel Mata-Herrera José Vergara Tonatiuh Figueroa Javier Perez-Orive Luis Lemus |
| author_sort | Elizabeth Cabrera-Ruiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humans learn and incorporate cross-modal associations between auditory and visual objects (e.g., between a spoken word and a picture) into language. However, whether nonhuman primates can learn cross-modal associations between words and pictures remains uncertain. We trained two rhesus macaques in a delayed cross-modal match-to-sample task to determine whether they could learn associations between sounds and pictures of different types. In each trial, the monkeys listened to a brief sound (e.g., a monkey vocalization or a human word), and retained information about the sound to match it with one of 2-4 pictures presented on a touchscreen after a 3-second delay. We found that the monkeys learned and performed proficiently in over a dozen associations. In addition, to test their ability to generalize, we exposed them to sounds uttered by different individuals. We found that their hit rate remained high but more variable, suggesting that they perceived the new sounds as equivalent, though not identical. We conclude that rhesus monkeys can learn cross-modal associations between objects of different types, retain information in working memory, and generalize the learned associations to new objects. These findings position rhesus monkeys as an ideal model for future research on the brain pathways of cross-modal associations between auditory and visual objects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0623e6b0db7d4e2686ea390e1248c8d3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-0623e6b0db7d4e2686ea390e1248c8d32025-08-20T03:48:51ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01202e031718310.1371/journal.pone.0317183Monkeys can identify pictures from words.Elizabeth Cabrera-RuizMarlen AlvaMario TreviñoMiguel Mata-HerreraJosé VergaraTonatiuh FigueroaJavier Perez-OriveLuis LemusHumans learn and incorporate cross-modal associations between auditory and visual objects (e.g., between a spoken word and a picture) into language. However, whether nonhuman primates can learn cross-modal associations between words and pictures remains uncertain. We trained two rhesus macaques in a delayed cross-modal match-to-sample task to determine whether they could learn associations between sounds and pictures of different types. In each trial, the monkeys listened to a brief sound (e.g., a monkey vocalization or a human word), and retained information about the sound to match it with one of 2-4 pictures presented on a touchscreen after a 3-second delay. We found that the monkeys learned and performed proficiently in over a dozen associations. In addition, to test their ability to generalize, we exposed them to sounds uttered by different individuals. We found that their hit rate remained high but more variable, suggesting that they perceived the new sounds as equivalent, though not identical. We conclude that rhesus monkeys can learn cross-modal associations between objects of different types, retain information in working memory, and generalize the learned associations to new objects. These findings position rhesus monkeys as an ideal model for future research on the brain pathways of cross-modal associations between auditory and visual objects.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317183 |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth Cabrera-Ruiz Marlen Alva Mario Treviño Miguel Mata-Herrera José Vergara Tonatiuh Figueroa Javier Perez-Orive Luis Lemus Monkeys can identify pictures from words. PLoS ONE |
| title | Monkeys can identify pictures from words. |
| title_full | Monkeys can identify pictures from words. |
| title_fullStr | Monkeys can identify pictures from words. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monkeys can identify pictures from words. |
| title_short | Monkeys can identify pictures from words. |
| title_sort | monkeys can identify pictures from words |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317183 |
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