Monkeys predict trajectories of virtual prey using basic variables from Newtonian physics.

Abstract

The demands of foraging are a major driver in the evolution of cognitive faculties. To successfully pursue a mobile prey that is attempting to avoid capture, the ability to predict its flight path can provide a crucial advantage. We hypothesized that, during pursuit, rhesus macaques exploit patterns in preys behavior to predict the preys future positions. We modeled behavior of three macaques in a joystick-controlled pursuit task in which prey follow simple escape algorithms that involve repulsion from the subject and from the walls of the virtual enclosure. We find that, even in this artificial task, macaques actively predict and aim towards preys future positions, increasing their foraging success. Their predictions are derived from the three core variables in Newtonian dynamics: position, velocity, and acceleration. Even after extensive training, subjects favored these principles and ignored other regularities in prey behavior. Most notably, they ignored the effects their own actions would have on the prey, despite extensive training and even though doing so would have further improved performance. We conjecture that subjects have a strong bias towards using physical principles to pursue fleeing prey, possibly reflecting an evolved physics module. The observed predictive behavior suggests that foraging demands facilitate the development of prospection.