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Krasnow Institute > Monday Seminars > Abstracts Serial Learning and Memory in Nonhuman Primates: Karyl B. Swartz We have recently shown that list learning can be achieved by a nonverbal organism. Specifically, we now have a group of list-sophisticated rhesus monkeys who have been trained to produce multiple novel lists. Our data suggest that monkeys develop specific strategies for acquiring novel lists. During acquisition of the first list, they acquire knowledge of the ~quential nature of the task, which they then apply to the mastery of subsequent lists. The data indicate that these animals plan the execution of the first three items of a four-item list at the beginning of the trial and respond to the last item by default. The monkeys persist in using this strategy even when a more efficient strategy could be used. Latency data show that lists are represented linearly. Performance on derived lists and subset tests indicate the monkeys have knowledge of ordinal position of individual items. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and value of investigating complex cognitive processes which underlie serial learning and organization by rhesus monkeys.
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