Cross-modal Transfer of Conditional Discrimination Training in Monkeys

Abstract

IN previous work monkeys were trained to discriminate accurately between two test-objects in one sense modality, say by touch. Their performance was then assessed when the same two objects were later presented for discrimination in another sense modality, say by vision. If their performance in the second (visual) modality was better than that of an appropriate control group of animals without previous (tactile) experience of these objects, cross-modal transfer of training has occurred. Recently the findings in such experiments and their implications for theories of perception and language wrere discussed in detail¹. It was concluded that only in one investigation² with monkeys was there evidence of significant positive cross-modal transfer of training related to an individual discrimination habit. However, in that investigation², only one of four comparisons attained statistical significance. On replication with eight instead of six animals the same trend was found as before but no comparison reached statistical significance (personal communication from M. Wilson).