Nicotinic agonists and muscarinic antagonists previously have been shown to, respectively, mimic and accentuate the discriminative‐stimulus (Sd) effects of monoaminergic (MA) stimulants (e.g., cocaine; COC) that also increase overt scanning‐checking (S‐C) behavior in squirrel monkeys. The present studies were undertaken to examine the ability of cholinergic (ACh) ligands—nicotinic full [nicotine (NIC), (+)‐epibatidine (EPI)], partial [varenicline (VAR), (−)‐cytisine (CYT), DMAB‐anabaseine (DMAB)] agonists, and the muscarinic antagonist atropine (ATR)—to mimic or modify COC‐induced increases in S‐C behavior. Results show that COC (0.032–3.2 mg/kg), but no ACh drugs, produced dose‐related increase in S‐C behavior. Further, NIC, EPI—and, to a lesser extent, VAR and CYT—dose‐dependently attenuated, whereas atropine dose‐dependently enhanced, COC's effects on S‐C; DMAB had no effect. The similar effects of ATR in Sd and S‐C studies are consistent with established pharmacological MA‐ACh muscarinic interactions, whereas the qualitatively inconsistent effects of nicotinic drugs suggest that stimulant‐like Sd effects of nicotinic drugs do not involve prominent MA activity (supported by NIH/NIDA DA026548).