Yamazaki Yumiko, Namba Hiromi, Iriki Atsushi
Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, 351-0198, Saitama, Japan.
Exp Brain Res. 2009 Mar;194(1):131-42. doi: 10.1007/s00221-008-1677-1. Epub 2009 Jan 13.
Many animals use tools to augment motor function ("motor tools", like rake), while the use of tools to acquire sensory information or to augment sensory function ("sensory tools", like endoscope) has been reported only in humans. In the present study, we trained Japanese monkeys to acquire the sensory tool use to re-construct a possible developmental course of the human-specific tool use via motor tool use training. After they mastered the rake use, we systematically introduced a series of external mirror and video arrangements, so as to separate visual cues from their actual origins in visuomotor space. Finally, the monkeys could acquire the use of sensory tool-a sort of endoscope attached to a rake-to explore the experimental space to find and retrieve the food. The results indicated a critical role of environmental control to develop even higher order behavioral sequences like human-specific sensory tool use in nonhuman primates.
许多动物使用工具来增强运动功能（“运动工具”，如耙子），而使用工具获取感官信息或增强感官功能（“感官工具”，如内窥镜）的情况仅在人类中被报道过。在本研究中，我们训练日本猕猴通过运动工具使用训练来习得感官工具的使用，以重建人类特定工具使用可能的发展过程。在它们掌握了耙子的使用后，我们系统地引入了一系列外部镜子和视频装置，以便在视觉运动空间中将视觉线索与其实际来源分开。最后，猕猴能够学会使用一种附在耙子上的类似内窥镜的感官工具来探索实验空间，以寻找并获取食物。结果表明，环境控制对于在非人类灵长类动物中发展如人类特定感官工具使用这样更高层次的行为序列起着关键作用。
