Monkey Observation Paper

Figure 4 from the paper displays the results from the automated monkey Movement-Assessment Panel (mMAP) testing system. In this experiment, the motor performance times of monkey’s retrieving small food items were tested using an automated mMAP. There were 12 trials conducted with a 30 second delay between each trial. There were three different levels of difficulty: platform task was the lowest in difficulty, the straight rod task was moderate in difficulty, and the q-mark task was the most difficult. These three levels are presented on the graph on the X-axis and are further divided into an “acquisition” phase and a “proficiency” phase. In the acquisition phase animals learned the task and improved their performance with each trial. In the
As seen in the legend, white bars represent the control group and black bars represent the calorie-restricted group. The mean time required for the platform task was approximately 0.5 seconds for the control group and the calorie-restricted group in both the acquisition and proficiency phase. For the straight rod task, it took both the control group and the calorie-restricted group about 2.6 seconds. At the proficiency phase of the straight rod task, however, the calorie-restricted group completed the task at a mean time that was approximately 0.1 seconds more than the 2.2 seconds it took the control group. In the q-mark test, the control group required significantly more time in order to complete the task in both the acquisition and proficiency phase. In the acquisition phase, the control group performed at a mean time of about 6.1 seconds, while the calorie-restricted group required only about 4.7 seconds. In the proficiency phase, the calorie-restricted group was faster than the control group by 0.9 seconds, as the control group took 4.0 seconds and the restricted group too 3.1