Temperament correlates with training success in adult rhesus macaques (2005)

Coleman, K., Tully, L. A., McMillan, J. L.

Abstract

We examined whether temperament, as measured by response to a novel food object, correlated with the amount of time it took to train 20 adult female rhesus macaques to perform a simple task. The monkeys were categorized as exploratory (i.e., inspected a novel object placed in the home cage within 10 sec), moderate (i.e., inspected the object within 10-180 sec), or inhibited (i.e., did not inspect the object within 3 min). We utilized positive reinforcement techniques to train the monkeys to touch a target (PVC pipe shaped like an elbow) hung on their cage. Temperament correlated with training success in this study [P=0.03]. We easily trained over 75% of the animals that inspected the novel food (i.e., exploratory or moderate individuals) to touch the target. However, only 22% of the inhibited monkeys performed the task.