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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1–6Cite as

Catarrhine Cognition

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Synonyms

Apes; Awareness; Monkeys; Reasoning; Thought; Understanding

Definition

A comparison of cognitive abilities within the primate parvorder Catarrhini (Old World monkeys, gibbons, and great apes).

Introduction

The catarrhine primates include Old World monkeys (family Cercopithecidae), gibbons (family Hylobatidae), and great apes (family Hominidae, including humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans; Perelman et al. 2011). Old World monkeys account for an estimated 40% of extant primate genera; however, the phylogenetic relationships of some species are highly debated. The family is broken up into two subfamilies, Cercopithecinae (12 genera) and Colobinae (10 genera; Perelman et al. 2011). Gibbons (small apes) diverged between Old World monkeys and great apes. The family divides into four genera with 12 extant species, although the phylogenetic relationship between species is also controversial (Takacs et al. 2005).

The comparison of Old World monkeys, gibbons, and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Sheridan College, 3059 Coffeen Avenue, Sheridan, 82801, WY, USA

    Rachel E. Kristiansen & Mckayla M. Ward

Authors
  1. Rachel E. Kristiansen
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  2. Mckayla M. Ward
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel E. Kristiansen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Averett University, Danville, VA, USA

    David Hanbury

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Kristiansen, R.E., Ward, M.M. (2017). Catarrhine Cognition. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_426-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_426-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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