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closeLearning Facilitation
Posted by Leonid_P on 01 Apr 2009 at 19:34 GMT
The target article describes possible learning facilitation of using tools in macaques by infant-directed behavior. This is the first evidence of the finding of this kind (as far as I know). It would be important to confirm this finding by similar observations with different types of tools and their usage; in macaques as well as in other species. This article may open a new direction of studying behavior of learning facilitation in pre-human species. Another direction of study should concentrate on a possibility of infant-directed vocalization associated with this behavior. Could it identify an origin of “motherese” in this kind of mother-infant interaction?
RE: Learning Facilitation
nmasataka replied to Leonid_P on 03 Apr 2009 at 01:21 GMT
We are totally in agreement with the comment. We documented parental behavioral modification in the domain of manual gesture. If it is extended to the domain of vocal gesture, it could be motherese. Indeed, we have preliminary evidence for the presence of such modification in some nonhuman primates. At the moment, the experiment to investigate the perception of exaggerated
tool-using behavior is ongoing.