Automated recording of individual performance and hand preference during joystick-task acquisition in group-living bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata).

A microchip that provided a unique identification number was injected into each forearm of all 8 members of a bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) social group. The group was then given computer-controlled joystick tasks of increasing difficulty. The identification number of the arm used on each trial was input into the computer and used to determine individual performance and hand preference in more than 23,000 trials. Three subjects reversed hand preference as task difficulty was increased over time. All subjects exhibited nearly exclusive use of a single hand on the most difficult task; 6 used the right hand, and 2 used the left. Daily patterns of joystick activity for the group members differed somewhat from that of our individually housed monkeys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do right- and left-handed monkeys differ on cognitive measures?

12 left- and 14 right-handed monkeys were compared on 6 measures of cognitive performance (2 maze-solving tasks, matching-to-sample, delayed matching-to-sample, delayed response using spatial cues, and delayed response using form cues). Significant differences were found between left- and right-handed monkeys on the 2 versions of the delayed response task. The dependent variable was trials-to-training criterion for each of the 6 tasks. Right-handed monkeys reached criterion significantly faster on the form cue version of the task, whereas left-handed monkeys reached criterion significantly faster on delayed response for spatial position (p?=?.05). Results suggest that sensitive hand preference measures of laterality can reveal differences in cognitive performance, which in turn may reflect underlying laterality in functional organization of the nervous system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral asymmetries of psychomotor performance in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): A dissociation between hand preference and skill.

Hand preferences were recorded for 35 rhesus monkeys as they manipulated a joystick in response to 2 computerized tasks. These preferences were then used to contrast 8 left- and 10 right-handed Ss on performance measures of hand skill. Individual hand preferences were found, but no significant population asymmetry was observed across the sample. However, the performance data reveal substantial benefits of right-handedness for joystick manipulation, as this group of monkeys mastered the 2 psychomotor tasks significantly faster than did their left-handed counterparts. The data support earlier reports of a right-hand advantage for joystick manipulation and also support the importance of distinguishing between hand preference and manual performance in research on functional asymmetries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hand preferences in unimanual and bimanual feeding by wild vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops).

Lateral preference was examined in spontaneous feeding actions in 2 troops of wild vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). Processing of 4 foods (termites, leaf shoots, sugarcane, and fruit) was studied. Actions included unimanual reaching to moving objects, operating from an unstable posture, and coordinated bimanual processing. Between 19 and 31 subjects were available, according to the task. In 2 tasks, laterality of 2 independent stages was measured separately, giving 6 measures in all. On 4 of these measures, most monkeys were ambipreferent, and only a few showed significant hand preferences. Only for termite feeding and detaching material from fruits did the majority show significant lateralization; no tasks elicited exclusive use of 1 hand. Preference appeared labile, because in 2 tasks, population trends reversed with increasing age. No population trends to left or right were found; instead, these monkeys showed ambilaterality, with lateralization associated with task complexity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodology of motor skill and laterality: new test of hand preference in Macaca nemestrina

Ten female pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were tested for hand preference and hand skill (i.e., speed of performance and error rate). The experimental task was naturalistic, calling for adaptive manual skills and fine manipulation: the monkeys had to remove small food rewards embedded in a vertical array, and precision opposition of thumb and forefinger was needed to extract each pellet. Each monkey was tested 10 times on 10 different days. The results indicated individual hand preference rather than population-level handedness; however, a tendency toward right predominance was found. The results on hand skill showed a relation between error rate and hand preference, as the preferred hand made fewer errors. A different and unexpected finding was obtained when skill was evaluated in terms of speed of performance: in adult subjects the left hand was quicker than the right. Therefore, different kinds of skill showed different patterns in relation to hand preference.     

The effects of d-amphetamine on the reinforcing effects of food and fluid using a novel procedure combining self-administration and location preference

Using a laboratory animal procedure designed to measure two aspects of behavior related to commodity seeking (self-administration and location preference), five individually housed adult rhesus monkeys lived in three chambers: fluid- (sweetened Kool-Aid solution) related cues and oral fluid self-administration were specific to one end chamber, food pellet-related cues and food self-administration were specific to the other end chamber, and no food cues or fluid cues were available in the middle chamber. Throughout the 10 h experimental day, monkeys experienced multiple food, fluid, choice (food versus fluid), and no-commodity sessions. Oral d-amphetamine (AMPH; 0.5-1.5 mg/kg) or placebo was administered before the sessions to determine if this anorectic drug would differentially alter food and fluid self-administration. The effects of AMPH on the length of time monkeys spent in each chamber, when the stimulus lights indicating commodity availability were not illuminated (location preference) were also determined. AMPH decreased both food and fluid self-administration, but responding for fluid was reduced to a greater extent than responding for food. AMPH, however, increased the length of time monkeys spent in the food chamber, even when no stimulus lights indicating food availability were illuminated. The increase in the length of time spent in the food chamber was predicted by the decrease in the number of fluid deliveries, not the number of food deliveries. These results indicate that the relationship between self-administration and location preference, as measures of reinforcing effects, is not completely concordant. The current procedure may prove useful in comparing these two measures of reinforcing effects with other reinforcers.     

Heroin impairs map-picture-following and memory tasks dependent on gender and orientation of the tasks.

Male and female heroin-dependent patients (HDPs) matched with "normal" people were tested on 4 topographical orientation tasks: schematic map-following, map-memory, schematic picture-following, and picture-memory tasks. The results showed that, in general, female HDPs demonstrated greater performance deficits in map-following and map-picture-memory tasks than did other participants. In the map-picture-following tasks, participants showed a preference for turning right versus turning left, reflected by lower correct scores and longer latencies in completing left-oriented tasks. In contrast, no difference in orientation preference was found for participants in memory tasks, except for female HDPs. Asymmetric dopamine receptor distribution in the brain, sex steroidal hormone, brain areas related to motor functioning and working memory, and gender-dependent lateralization may be involved in the different effects of heroin and rightward bias between men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of an abilities classification system for integrating and generalizing human performance research findings: An application to vigilance tasks.

Classified the tasks used in 53 studies in the vigilance literature by the abilities required for task performance. For studies falling within each category of task, mean performance computed across studies was plotted as a function of time in the vigil. The curves relating time in the vigil to detection accuracy were found to differ as a function of the ability requirements of the tasks. Similarly, when the effects of selected independent variables (e.g., signal rate, sensory mode, and knowledge of results) on performance were examined, different functional relations were found depending on the abilities required by the tasks. Thus, classification of these experimental tasks by an abilities taxonomy improved generalizations about the effects of independent variables on vigilance performance; relations were revealed which had been obscured without these task classifications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of the mode of prosthesis control to psychomotor performance of arm amputees.

Comparisons of a "voluntary closing" type of prosthesis control system, for hook and hand prosthetic terminal devices, "were made for a total of 17 amputees, using performance time as a criterion measure on three simple manipulation tests. Amputee preference for various types of device was determined by a questionnaire. The results indicated that the mode of control of the prehension device was unrelated to the criterion measure… preference… is related to other factors than speed… such as mechanical reliability [and]… there is no inherent superiority for either type of control; neither one stands in any natural functional relationship to the shoulder shrug or biceps contraction." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Language experience and right hemisphere tasks: the effects of scanning habits and multilingualism

This study explores the effects of multilingualism and reading scanning habits on right hemisphere (RH) abilities. Native Hebrew speakers and Arabic-Hebrew bilinguals performed three tasks. Experiment 1 employed an odd/even decision paradigm on lateralized displays of bar graphs. Both groups of subjects displayed the expected LVFA within the range previously reported for readers of English. Experiment 2 consisted of a chair identification task designed to tap asymmetry of hemispheric arousal and a chimeric face task designed to tap RH specialization for facial emotion. Neither scanning habits nor language experience affected performance on the chair task. Scanning habits seem to have affected performance on the chimeric faces task: there was no preference for the left smile in these right-to-left readers, as opposed to previous results in the literature using left-to-right readers. Correlations between measures from the three tasks and all the subject's scores on an English proficiency test and on a Hebrew test for the bilinguals reveal tentative relationships between proficiency in a second language and RH abilities. The results do not support the hypothesis that multilingualism can affect the manner in which these nonlanguage tasks are subserved by the RH. They do support the hypothesis that scanning habits particular to specific languages can affect performance asymmetries on some nonlanguage tasks that have been posited to reflect RH specialization.     

Transient memory impairment in monkeys with bilateral lesions of the entorhinal cortex

Performance on five behavioral tasks was assessed post-operatively in Macaca fascicularis monkeys prepared with bilateral lesions of the entorhinal cortex (E group). Three of the tasks were also readministered 9-14 months after surgery. Initial learning of the delayed nonmatching-to-sample (DNMS) task was impaired in the E animals relative to unoperated control monkeys. On the delay portion of DNMS, the performance of E animals was nearly at control levels at short delays (up to 60 sec) but was impaired at 10 min and 40 min retention intervals. On the retest of DNMS, the E animals performed normally at all retention intervals. The E animals were unimpaired on the four other memory tasks. Neuroanatomical studies revealed a significant transverse expansion of the terminal field of the perirhinal cortical projection in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Compared to unlesioned, anatomical control monkeys, the transverse length of the perirhinal terminal field in CA1 increased approximately 70% in the E monkeys. Although this was a striking morphological alteration, it is not known whether the sprouting of this projection influenced the behavioral recovery. The results of these studies suggest that the entorhinal cortex may normally participate in the learning and performance of tasks that are dependent on the medial temporal lobe memory system. However, recovery of normal DNMS performance demonstrates that the entorhinal cortex is not, by itself, essential for learning and performance of such tasks.     

Effects of selective neonatal hippocampal lesions on tests of object and spatial recognition memory in monkeys.

Earlier studies in monkeys have reported mild impairment in recognition memory after nonselective neonatal hippocampal lesions. To assess whether the memory impairment could have resulted from damage to cortical areas adjacent to the hippocampus, we tested adult monkeys with neonatal focal hippocampal lesions and sham-operated controls in three recognition tasks: delayed nonmatching-to-sample, object memory span, and spatial memory span. Further, to rule out that normal performance on these tasks may relate to functional sparing following neonatal hippocampal lesions, we tested adult monkeys that had received the same focal hippocampal lesions in adulthood and their controls in the same three memory tasks. Both early and late onset focal hippocampal damage did not alter performance on any of the three tasks, suggesting that damage to cortical areas adjacent to the hippocampus was likely responsible for the recognition impairment reported by the earlier studies. In addition, given that animals with early and late onset hippocampal lesions showed object and spatial recognition impairment when tested in a visual paired comparison task, the data suggest that not all object and spatial recognition tasks are solved by hippocampal-dependent memory processes. The current data may not only help explain the neural substrate for the partial recognition memory impairment reported in cases of developmental amnesia, but they are also clinically relevant given that the object and spatial memory tasks used in monkeys are often translated to investigate memory functions in several populations of human infants and children in which dysfunction of the hippocampus is suspected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human amnesia and animal models of amnesia: Performance of amnesic patients on tests designed for the monkey.

The performance of amnesic patients was assessed on five tasks, which have figured prominently in the development of animal models of human amnesia in the monkey. The amnesic patients were impaired on four of these tasks (delayed nonmatching to sample, object-reward association, 8-pair concurrent discrimination learning, and an object discrimination task), in correspondence with previous findings for monkeys with bilateral medial temporal or diencephalic lesions. Moreover, performance of the amnesic patients correlated with the ability to verbalize the principle underlying the tasks and with the ability to describe and recognize the stimulus materials. These tasks therefore seem to be sensitive to the memory functions that are affected in human amnesia, and they can provide valid measures of memory impairment in studies with monkeys. For the fifth task (24-hour concurrent discrimination learning), the findings for the amnesic patients did not correspond to previous findings for operated monkeys. Whereas monkeys with medial temporal lesions reportedly learn this task at a normal rate, the amnesic patients were markedly impaired. Monkeys may learn this task differently than humans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social affiliation and dominance in captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).

Considers that the use of squirrel monkeys in laboratory social research requires more detailed techniques for determining basic social relations. Social interaction in 3 squirrel monkey groups (N = 21) was observed using a tentative behavioral inventory and time samples of social proximity. Social preference for other group members was tested in an experimental setting. Factor analyses of observed frequencies of initiated dyadic interaction revealed 3 primary factors: play, social attraction, and social power. Examination of specific behavioral patterns that characterized the latter 2 factors indicated stable dominance and affiliative relations within the groups. Experimental assessments of social preference did not correspond with affiliative patterns evident in the group setting. Results are discussed in terms of relative value of observational and experimental procedures, observational inventories as laboratory instruments for the analysis of social relations, and implications for general factors underlying primate social organization. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New methodology applied to bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) to address some contradictory evidence on manual asymmetries in old world monkeys.

Seven bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) with strong hand preferences in performing a computer-generated joystick task that required directing a cursor to contact a small stationary target on a monitor were given comparable experience with each hand on the task over a 5-week period. Hand use was randomly restricted to either only the left or only the right hand across trials by automatically inputting into a computer the unique identification numbers of microchips implanted in the forearms of each macaque. Subsequent presentation of a novel task requiring maintenance of contact between a cursor and a moving target revealed no performance difference between preferred and nonpreferred hands or between left and right hands on the basis of number of errors or time to complete the task. The findings suggest that the strong hand preference for these tasks does not derive from a performance advantage for the preferred hand. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aging in rhesus macaques is associated with changes in novelty preference and altered saccade dynamics.

Studies demonstrating recognition deficits with aging often use tasks in which subjects have an incentive to correctly encode or retrieve the experimental stimuli. In contrast to these tasks, which may engage strategic encoding and retrieval processes, the visual paired comparison (VPC) task measures spontaneous eye movements made toward a novel as compared with familiar stimulus. In the present study, seven rhesus macaques aged 6 to 30 years exhibited a dramatic age-dependent decline in preference for a novel image compared with one presented seconds earlier. The age effect could not be accounted for by memory deficits alone, because it was present even when familiarization preceded test by 1 second. It also could not be explained by an encoding deficit, because the effect persisted with increased familiarity of the sample stimulus. Reduced novelty preference did correlate with eye movement variables, including reaction time distributions and saccade frequency. At long delay intervals (24 or 48 hours) aging was paradoxically associated with increased novelty preference. Several explanations for the age effect are considered, including the possible role of dopamine. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The neuropsychological significance of lateral preference for complex visual activities in children with learning disabilities

In the present study the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and lateral preference for visual activities was examined with learning disordered children. Specifically, the relationship between measures of the Lateral Dominance Exam (LDE), scores on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were explored. A canonical analysis suggested that composites of neuropsychological functioning and lateral preference shared 22% of variance. Learning disabled children with strong right or left preference for visually guided motor activities showed lower performance in spatial tasks on the ipsilateral side and in simple motor skills on the contralateral side. Children in the present study with strong right preference patterns for visually assisted motor activities also showed low performance on visual tracking tasks. These data offer some support for assessing lateral preference in learning disabled children.     

Hand preferences in unimanual and coordinated-bimanual tasks by tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Hand preferences in 26 capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were examined in 2 reaching-for-food tasks under 2 postural conditions. In the 1st task (unimanual), monkeys were required to reach for food from both a quadrupedal and an upright posture. A right-hand bias was found for the upright but not for the quadrupedal condition. In the 2nd task (coordinated bimanual), monkeys were required to extract the food from a hanging Plexiglas tube from both a crouched and an upright posture. A right-hand bias was found for both conditions. A significant increase in right-hand use was noted from the unimanual, quadrupedal, reaching task to the coordinated-bimanual task, with females exhibiting a greater right-hand preference than males. In addition, a significant effect of task complexity on strength in laterality was found. Results are discussed in the context of recent theories on primate laterality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Head Orientation position during birth and in infant neonatal period, and hand preference at nineteen weeks

This study of lateral preferences of normal full-term infants found, as predicted, that infants who were delivered from a left occiput anterior or transverse birth position (head turned to the right) exhibited a neonatal right supine head orientation and a right-hand preference in visually guided reaching tasks at 19 weeks. Contrary to prediction, infants delivered from a right occiput anterior or transverse birth position (head turned to the left) did not exhibit a left-sided preference in either neonatal head position or hand preference. Results are discussed in relation to other research which found a right shift in neonates' head orientations and in the distribution of hand preference in the human population. The findings suggest further investigation into the relationship between prenatal and postnatal postural asymmetries and the continuing development of laterality.     

Accuracy of self-assessment and task performance: Does it pay to know the truth?

An integration of conceptions about attributional antecedents with those of attributional consequences is applied to achievement behavior. The model assumes realistic attributions to be functional. It was tested with a paradigm in which task performance is conceptualized as the sum of the performances on various subtasks requiring different abilities. In Study 1, participants who were induced to make realistic attributions spent more time on tasks for which they had demonstrated high ability than on tasks for which they had demonstrated low ability. This preference for tasks out of areas for which one possesses high ability was correlated with overall performance. Study 2 replicated these results and revealed better posttest performance for individuals with realistic feedback than for individuals with unrealistic feedback. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)