{"pk":49541,"title":"Rhesus monkeys show no preference for a left-to-right number-space mapping","subtitle":null,"abstract":"Humans who use a left-to-right writing system often associate smaller numbers with the left side of space and larger numbers with the right. Whether this left-to-right number-space mapping is innate or culturally learned is unclear. Here, we test whether monkeys who lack human cultural practices show a left-to-right number-space mapping. Previous work in monkeys has found mixed evidence on whether monkeys show a left-to-right bias in their number-space mappings. Replicating the methods of Drucker and Brannon (2014), monkeys were trained to touch the fourth circle from the bottom in a vertical array of five circles. Then, they were tested with a horizontal array of five circles. Overall, monkeys showed no preference for the fourth circle from the left compared to the fourth from the right. This suggests monkeys may not have a directionality bias for number-space mappings. Therefore, the left-to-right bias in humans may be due to specific cultural practices.","language":"eng","license":{"name":"","short_name":"","text":null,"url":""},"keywords":[{"word":"Psychology; Development; Evolution; Spatial cognition; Comparative Studies"}],"section":"Papers with Poster Presentation","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3cm2j0gd","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Alessandra","middle_name":"Acadia","last_name":"Silva","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Wisconsin-Madison","department":""},{"first_name":"Benjamin","middle_name":"","last_name":"Pitt","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Massachusetts, Amherst","department":""},{"first_name":"Stephen","middle_name":"","last_name":"Ferrigno","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Wisconsin-Madison","department":""}],"date_submitted":null,"date_accepted":null,"date_published":"2025-01-01T12:00:00-06:00","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/cognitivesciencesociety/article/49541/galley/37503/download/"}]}