The broad goals of the proposed effort are to increase the understanding of the contributions of evaluative processes to behavior. Evaluative dispositions, as manifested by approach/avoidance tendencies or appetitive/aversive reactions, are ubiquitous in behavioral contexts, and can range from reflexive responses to simple stimuli, to generalized attitudinal dispositions to broad classes of stimuli. Of particular interest are the multiple levels of evaluative processes that may be operative in a given behavioral context, and the potential interactions among these processes. These issues will be addressed in chimpanzees, through studies of a potent TIE that appears to arise from competing evaluative dispositions to food arrays. The proposed studies will examine the social, perceptual, and incentive determinants of this task interference. The proposed effort will also test a conceptual model of the levels of evaluative processing, and will further develop this model. The loner- term goal is to elucidate the antecedents, consequents, and neurobiological mechanisms of evaluative processes. Given the unique phylogenetic status of chimpanzees, this species may be optimal for bridging the gap between the human and animal literatures on evaluative processes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01MH049834-01A2
Application #
2249205
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRCM (01))
Project Start
1994-04-01
Project End
1996-03-31
Budget Start
1994-04-01
Budget End
1995-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Ohio State University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
098987217
City
Columbus
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
43210
Boysen, S T; Berntson, G G; Mukobi, K L (2001) Size matters: impact of item size and quantity on array choice by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Comp Psychol 115:106-10
Brown, D A; Boysen, S T (2000) Spontaneous discrimination of natural stimuli by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Comp Psychol 114:392-400
Thompson, R K; Oden, D L; Boysen, S T (1997) Language-naive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) judge relations between relations in a conceptual matching-to-sample task. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 23:31-43
Boysen, S T; Bernston, G G; Hannan, M B et al. (1996) Quantity-based interference and symbolic representations in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 22:76-86
Boysen, S T; Berntson, G G (1995) Responses to quantity: perceptual versus cognitive mechanisms in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 21:82-6
Boysen, S T; Berntson, G G; Shreyer, T A et al. (1995) Indicating acts during counting by a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). J Comp Psychol 109:47-51