What-where-when memory in capuchin monkeys

What is it about?

The ability to perceive and use time intervals is fundamental to many human behaviors: forming structured memories of the past and planning for the future. Much evidence shows that animals can recall the locations and context of past events, but there are few studies that suggest that animals can integrate these what-where memories with the elapsed time since the event. I used experimental resources that increased predictably with time to show that wild capuchin monkeys appear to use integrated memories of past feeding episodes, including how long ago they obtained food, to make adaptive choices about where to feed next.

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