Primates are living links to our past: The contribution of comparative studies with wild vervet monkeys to the field of social cognition.

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Ressource 1Download: Mertz et al 2019-Cortex_final accepted Manuscript.pdf (13615.99 [Ko])
State: Public
Version: Author's accepted manuscript
License: Not specified
Serval ID
serval:BIB_2B01716B96AD
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Publication sub-type
Review (review): journal as complete as possible of one specific subject, written based on exhaustive analyses from published work.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Primates are living links to our past: The contribution of comparative studies with wild vervet monkeys to the field of social cognition.
Journal
Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior
Author(s)
Mertz J., Surreault A., van de Waal E., Botting J.
ISSN
1973-8102 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0010-9452
Publication state
Published
Issued date
09/2019
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
118
Pages
65-81
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Review
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
By studying the behavior of nonhuman primates, particularly in wild settings, researchers have been able to investigate a range of cognitive abilities, shedding light on the evolution of certain aspects of cognition and revealing potential evolutionary precursors of many capacities considered uniquely human. Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) have been widely investigated due to their prevalence and their suitability for experimental testing in the wild with an ecologically valid approach that is not possible with many other primates, especially apes. Here we review advances in the understanding of a number of cognitive and behavioral processes that have been gleaned from studies conducted with wild vervet monkeys over the past half century, primarily focusing on social cognitive abilities. We direct our attention to three major areas of study; communication, cooperation and trade, and social learning. We discuss how findings from this species have contributed (and continue to contribute) to our understanding of the evolution of human cognitive capacities and suggest future avenues of research with this species.
Keywords
Communication, Comparative approach, Cooperation, Social learning, Vervet monkey
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
28/04/2019 14:45
Last modification date
21/11/2022 8:28
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