Lateral bias for rotational behavior in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Abstract

This research examined lateral bias for rotational behavior in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). A symmetrical distribution of rotational bias was noted, with approximately equal numbers of subjects preferring to turn to the right and to the left. As a group, adults did not exhibit a lateral rotational bias. Immatures preferentially rotated to the left. Across subjects, the strength of rotational bias was positively related to the incidence of right-eyed looking. Rotational bias was not related to hand preference. The finding of analogous age-dependent patterns of rotational bias in capuchins and in humans suggests that the rotational behavior of Cebus apella can be used to model an asymmetric response pattern that has been linked to development in Homo sapiens.