Studies with respect to tool use by Cebidae diverge on the question whether this ability is of an associative type, or if an understanding of the function of tools is involved. Studies showed that abilities of tool use learned in one context may transfer to other contexts, indicating that more than "stimulus-response learning" is involved. In this study, a capuchin monkey was exposed to two problem-solving situations, one where two sticks needed to be fit to reach a piece of food and another where the animal needed to fit a different model of sticks to hit an equipment. The results showed that solving the first problem facilitated the solution of the second, indicating that responses which were successful in solving previous problems are more probable to occur in new situations.
Cebus apella; comprehension; generalization; tool use
