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10 - Primate Recall Memory

from Part II - Memory and Recall

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2021

By
Molly Flessert  and
Michael J. Beran
Edited by
Allison B. Kaufman ,
Josep Call  and
James C. Kaufman
Allison B. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Josep Call
Affiliation:
University of St Andrews, Scotland
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
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Summary

Many studies have documented the types of memory evident in nonhuman primates.These range in time scales of remembering for seconds to remembering for minutes or even years. An important distinction in human memory is between recognition and recall modes of remembering. Recognition occurs when an external cue aids in memory performance, where the cue evokes the memory. Recall, however, requires a more spontaneous and internally driven memory process. In humans, recall typically is seen when people report experiences verbally, without need of specific cues. This is more difficult to demonstrate in nonhuman animals but can be done if a test can be used that provides no specific, recognizable cues included in the assessment of what is remembered. Some of those tests, as given to different nonhuman primate species, are outlined in this chapter. The resulting data indicate that nonhuman primates do engage in memory recall without the need of external cues, and the implications of this reflect another commonality in the cognitive systems of humans and other animals.

Keywords

primatesmemoryrecallautobiographical memoryepisodic memoryspatial memory
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Animal Cognition , pp. 210 - 222
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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