Does the presentation format affect learning speed in visual discrimination tasks? A study on tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)

Experimental paradigms used to study visual behaviour in humans and non-human species are based on discrimination tasks involving different types of stimuli and procedures for stimuli presentation, thus stressing the necessity to compare data obtained with different methodological approaches. In this study we analysed the effects of the use of different types of stimuli (food items/computer images/objects) and procedures (computerised/non-computerised) on capuchin monkeys’ ability to discriminate stimuli by size and to generalise the solution of the problem across tasks. We found that, in terms of number of trials and response accuracy at acquisition, monkeys have performed better with foods rather than with images, while with the objects they have had intermediate levels of performance.