Experimental study of metacognition in free-ranging group of Japanese macaques

Abstract

We investigated whether Japanese macaques possess metacognitive abilities by conducting experiments from 2021 to 2022 on a group of ten free-ranging macaques inhabiting Awaji Island. The macaques were tested on a task where they had to find food hidden in one of four tubes. We observed whether they would look inside the tubes before making a choice when they did not know which tube contained food. We also varied the cost of looking and the quality of the food reward. Our findings revealed that most of the macaques looked inside the tubes more frequently when they did not know the food's location. Some macaques tended to reduce their looks when the cost of looking was high, but only when they already knew where the food was. When a high-quality reward was at stake, a few macaques tended to look inside the tubes more frequently, even when they already knew the food’s location. These results suggest that Japanese macaques adjust their information-seeking behavior based on their level of knowledge, the cost associated with seeking information, and the potential value of the reward.