Kuroshima Hika, Kuwahata Hiroko, Fujita Kazuo
Graduate School of Letters, Department of Psychology, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
Anim Cogn. 2008 Oct;11(4):599-609. doi: 10.1007/s10071-008-0150-7. Epub 2008 Mar 5.
We investigated whether tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) learn from others' mistakes. We prepared three kinds of transparent containers having the same appearance: one that could be opened by the lid, one that could be opened from the bottom, and one that could be opened either way. Using each of the first two one-way-open type containers, the monkeys were trained to copy the human demonstrator's action to open the container and obtain a piece of sweet potato contained therein. After this training, the demonstrator showed the monkeys an action that would open or fail to open the third, two-way-open type container. None of the monkeys reliably opened the container by spontaneously compensating for the demonstrator's failure (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, the same subjects were trained to correct their own mistakes immediately after failure, before we introduced the same test as in Experiment 1. This experience did not result in subjects using the demonstrator's failure to produce a successful action. In Experiment 3, we placed two monkeys face to face. In this situation, the second monkey was presented with the container after the first monkey failed to open it. As a result, two capuchin monkeys capitalized on the partner's failure to correctly guide his/her behavior. Thus, the monkeys monitored not only the outcome of the others' action, but also that action per se. This result suggests that not only humans and apes, but also monkeys may understand the meaning of others' actions in social learning.
我们研究了簇绒卷尾猴（Cebus apella）是否会从他人的错误中学习。我们准备了三种外观相同的透明容器：一种可以通过盖子打开，一种可以从底部打开，还有一种可以通过两种方式打开。使用前两种单向打开类型的容器，训练猴子模仿人类示范者打开容器的动作，以获取其中包含的一块红薯。经过这种训练后，示范者向猴子展示了打开或无法打开第三种双向打开类型容器的动作。没有一只猴子通过自发弥补示范者的失败而可靠地打开容器（实验1）。在实验2中，在我们引入与实验1相同的测试之前，对相同的受试者进行训练，使其在失败后立即纠正自己的错误。这种经历并没有导致受试者利用示范者的失败做出成功的动作。在实验3中，我们将两只猴子面对面放置。在这种情况下，在第一只猴子未能打开容器后，向第二只猴子展示该容器。结果，两只卷尾猴利用伙伴的失败来正确指导自己的行为。因此，猴子不仅监测他人行动的结果，还监测行动本身。这一结果表明，不仅人类和猿类，猴子在社会学习中也可能理解他人行动的含义。
