PRIMATE-SCIENCE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT, Dec. 13, 1999
(Courtesy Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center)

"Social environment greatly influences learning and performance
in monkeys"

Do tests of cognitive ability truly measure intelligence and ability to
learn, or do they only measure performance on a given day? Most high school
students taking the SAT test would say it is clearly the latter. But
researchers at the Yerkes Primate Center have explored the matter in a
controlled study reported in October in Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, which demonstrates how profoundly performance can be affected
by social factors.

Psychologists Kim Wallen and Christine Drea found that in monkeys, those of
low-ranking status "played dumb" in simple cognitive trials when tested in
the presence of their superiors. However, when tested alone with only
low-rankers together, the monkeys scored as well as the high-ranking
animals.

When tested all together, only the high ranking monkeys appeared to react,
demonstrating their newly learned abilities, whereas the low ranking
animals failed to react at all. There was no overt aggression from the
higher ranking members to frighten off the others; the subordinate group
simply did not even attempt to pass the test. This suggests the "dumb"
monkeys suppressed their performance voluntarily just to keep the peace.

The study has human implications, says Dr. Wallen. "We often think we're
measuring learning, but we're measuring performance instead--and the
ability to perform is greatly affected by our social context. For instance,
athletes will often perform better on the home field. Kids in the classroom
refrain from calling out the answers for fear of being called a
know-it-all. An employee decides not to correct the boss in front of
others. With humans, as with monkeys, it is often more important to fit
into the social structure than to show how much you know."

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Reference:
Drea C.M., and K. Wallen. 1999. Low-status monkeys "play dumb" when
learning in mixed social groups. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Oct
26;96(22):12965-9.

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Primate-Science Research Highlights appears every other week and focuses
broadly on research involving non-human primates. Coverage includes
biomedicine, behavior, conservation and veterinary science. Please
submit highlights for this column to Larry Jacobsen, Primate-Science Research
Highlights editor, at jacobsen@primate.wisc.edu. A 300-word limit and
lay-language style are recommended. Primate-Science Research Highlights are
supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health,
National Center for Research Resources.  Copyright 1999,
Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center. No portion of this highlight
may be copied or redistributed without the consent of the editor.

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