A recent study has shown that macaques can experience uncertainty and self-doubt. The macaques, which are Old World monkeys, were trained to play a videogame in which they judged the density of a pixel box on a computer screen. They used a joystick to move a cursor toward either a letter 'S' (for sparse) or 'D' (for dense). They also could choose a question mark on the computer screen.
Monkeys which chose correctly received a treat and immediately moved on to a new problem screen. Those which chose incorrectly weren't punished, but there was a delay before a new screen appeared, forcing the macaque to wait to move on. If the macaques chose the question mark, however, they received no treat but moved on instantly to the next screen without waiting - in effect, taking a pass. Prof. John David Smith from State University of New York at Buffalo, one of the leaders of the study, told the BBC, "Monkeys apparently appreciate when they are likely to make an error ... they seem to know when they don't know."
Interestingly, Capuchin monkeys, a species of New World monkey - which are less closely related to humans - did not take the question mark option. This raises questions about human evolutionary history and when the capacity for self-doubt developed. "These results could explain why self-awareness is such an important part of our cognitive makeup and from whence it came," Smith said.
-compiled by Haley McKey
Read More
U.Va. Health sees a spike in COVID-19 cases
By Emily Horn | September 4, 2023U.Va. Health ended their vaccination requirements in August, and masks were made optional in most hospital areas in early April.
U.Va. Cancer Center harnesses $12 million grant to support opportunities for undergraduates, ongoing research and new center
By Ellen Wu | January 12, 2023The grant provides an opportunity to establish the Center for Systems Analysis of Stress-Adapted Cancer Organelles, which seeks to find the cause of cancer in individual organelles.
U.Va. Health's rural neurology clinics receive a $500,000 grant to fund research and patient care
By Shrinidhi Kittur | January 12, 2023Established in the rural towns of Tazewell, Abingdon and Wise, the clinics have been providing patient care to otherwise underserved populations for decades.
