James Grange j.a.grange@keele.ac.uk
The evolution of primate short-term memory
Grange
Authors
Abstract
Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of short-term memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities.
Acceptance Date | Jul 6, 2022 |
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Publication Date | Nov 3, 2022 |
Journal | Animal Behavior and Cognition |
Print ISSN | 2372-5052 |
Publisher | Animal Behavior and Cognition |
Pages | 428-516 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.09.04.06.2022 |
Publisher URL | https://www.animalbehaviorandcognition.org/article.php?id=1334 |
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6 ManyPrimates_ABC_9(4).pdf
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Publisher Licence URL
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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