A quantitative testing system and method for deception and cooperative behavior in macaques.

Abstract

This invention discloses a quantitative testing system and method for deceptive and cooperative behavior in macaques, comprising: a data acquisition and control device and several experimental boxes; each experimental box includes a box body, inside which a test area, a tension sensor, and a feeding device are arranged. The tension sensor and the feeding device are both installed on the inner wall of the box body. A tension handle is installed in the test area, and the tension handle is connected to the tension sensor via a spring; both the tension sensor and the feeding device are electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device. The technical solution of this invention can achieve quantitative assessment of deceptive behavior in macaques, providing strong support for macaque behavioral research.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of animal social behavior testing technology, and in particular relates to a quantitative testing system and method for deception and cooperation behavior in macaques. Background Technology

[0002] Studying the social behavior of non-human primates is crucial for understanding the origins of human behavior. Human social behavior is exceptionally complex, encompassing altruistic and reciprocal behaviors such as cooperation and sharing; however, non-altruistic behaviors are also prevalent, including competition and even fraud. These social behaviors constitute the complexity of human society, mutually constraining each other to achieve a dynamic equilibrium that ensures social stability. How did these social behaviors evolve? Which brain regions are responsible for different social behaviors? These have long been questions of interest. By utilizing non-human primates, whose genomes and brain structures are highly similar to humans, we can gain insight into and study the origins of complex human social behavior. Most social studies using non-human primates as experimental subjects have focused on measuring and analyzing cooperative behavior, with very little research on fraudulent behavior that may arise within cooperative behavior. This is largely due to a lack of suitable equipment and experimental design, which limits research in this area. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a quantitative testing system and method for deception and cooperative behavior in macaques, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a quantitative testing system for deception and cooperative behavior in macaques, including a data acquisition and control device and several experimental boxes.

[0005] Each of the aforementioned experimental boxes includes a box body, inside which a test area, a tension sensor, and a feeding device are arranged. The tension sensor and the feeding device are both installed on the inner wall of the box body. A tension handle is installed in the test area, and the tension handle is connected to the tension sensor via a spring. The tension sensor and the feeding device are both electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device.

[0006] Optionally, a food trough is also provided in the test area, and the food trough is configured in conjunction with the feeding device.

[0007] Optionally, the feeding device includes a food pellet pump, the output end of which is connected to the food trough via a delivery pipeline, and the food pellet pump is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device.

[0008] Optionally, the feeding device further includes a juice pump, the output end of which is movably fitted with a water supply pipe, and the juice pump is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device.

[0009] Optionally, a light stimulation generator is installed at the bottom of the enclosure, and the light stimulation generator is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device.

[0010] Optionally, a sound stimulus generator is installed on the inner wall of the enclosure, and the sound stimulus generator is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device.

[0011] Optionally, the data acquisition and control device includes a control computer and a tensile threshold judgment device. One end of the control computer is electrically connected to the tensile threshold judgment device through a connecting pipe, and the other end is electrically connected to each device in each of the experimental boxes through a connecting pipe.

[0012] Optionally, the connecting conduit includes an explosion-proof conduit and a signal line installed inside the explosion-proof conduit.

[0013] On the other hand, to achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a method for quantitatively testing fraudulent and cooperative behaviors in macaques, applied to the aforementioned system for quantitatively testing fraudulent and cooperative behaviors in macaques, comprising:

[0014] The quantitative testing system is activated, and each animal to be tested is tested individually or in groups based on preset thresholds and preset number of tests, and the test records are recorded.

[0015] Optionally, the process of the individual test specifically includes:

[0016] When the animal being tested pulls the handle, the computer collects the sensing data from the tension sensor and uses a tension threshold judgment device to compare the preset threshold with the sensing data. If the sensing data is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, the computer controls a food pellet pump or juice pump to release a reward; if the sensing data is less than the preset threshold, no reward is given.

[0017] The collaborative testing process specifically includes:

[0018] In the collaborative test, when each of the test animals pulls the handle within a preset time period, if the pulling force sensor data corresponding to each test animal reaches a preset threshold, the food pellet pump or juice pump is controlled by the computer to release the reward; if the pulling force sensor data corresponding to one test animal does not reach the preset threshold, while the pulling force sensor data corresponding to another test animal reaches the preset threshold, and the total pulling force sensor data reaches the threshold, and both animals receive food or juice rewards, then the first animal is judged to have committed fraud.

[0019] If one test animal does not pull the handle, while the pull sensor data of the other test animal reaches the preset threshold of total pull force, and both animals receive food or juice rewards, then the first animal is judged to have betrayed the test animal.

[0020] The technical effects of this invention are as follows:

[0021] This invention provides a quantitative testing system for deceptive and cooperative behavior in macaques, which has advantages such as simple structure, convenient operation, and accurate and reliable data. This system enables the quantitative assessment of deceptive behavior in macaques, providing strong support for macaque behavioral research. Furthermore, this system can also be applied to behavioral research in other animals, demonstrating its wide applicability. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of this application are used to explain this application and do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the quantitative testing system structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the quantitative testing method in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Labeling Explanation: 100, First Tensile Testing Device Experiment Box; 101, Second Tensile Testing Device Experiment Box; 110, Tensile Sensor; 120, Food Particle Pump; 130, Juice Pump; 140, Water Supply Pipe; 150, Sound Stimulus Generator; 160, Light Stimulus Generator; 170, Tensile Handle; 180, Food Tank; 200, Tensile Testing Device Control Computer; 210, Explosion-proof Pipe; 220, Signal Cable; 230, Microcontroller I / O Control Card. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more comprehensive description of the invention will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and several embodiments of the invention will be provided. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the invention will be more thorough and complete.

[0029] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0030] The terms “include,” “including,” “have,” “contain,” etc., used in this article are all open-ended terms, meaning that they include but are not limited to.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0032] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] like Figures 1-2 As shown, this embodiment provides a quantitative testing system for deception and cooperation behavior in macaques, including a data acquisition and control device and several experimental boxes. Each experimental box includes a box body, and inside the box body are a test area, a tension sensor 110, and a feeding device. The tension sensor 110 and the feeding device are both installed on the inner wall of the box body. A tension handle 170 is installed in the test area, and the tension handle 170 is connected to the tension sensor 110 via a spring. The tension sensor 110 and the feeding device are both electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device.

[0035] A method for quantifying fraudulent and cooperative behavior in macaques, applied to the aforementioned system for quantifying fraudulent and cooperative behavior in macaques, includes:

[0036] The quantitative testing system is activated, and each animal to be tested is tested individually or in groups based on preset thresholds and preset number of tests, and the test records are recorded.

[0037] The test records were used to assess the deceptive behavior tendencies and cooperative abilities of the test animals.

[0038] This embodiment constructs a tensile testing device for detecting the upper limb strength of macaques. This embodiment combines two or more systems into a single tensile testing device. First, the macaques are trained to cooperate in obtaining food. Then, rules are set to detect fraudulent behavior by the macaques during the cooperation process. Details are as follows:

[0039] Pre-selected macaques were trained to use a pull-force testing device to obtain food rewards. When a macaque reached out and pulled the handle of the device, if the pull force exceeded a set threshold, it would receive a reward (a food pellet falling from the pellet pump into the feeding trough or a drop of juice flowing from the water supply tube 140). If the macaque's pull force did not reach the threshold, no food or juice reward was given. Generally, after 25 consecutive training sessions per day, the macaques could complete training at different thresholds. After about 3 months, their maximum pull force threshold could be determined; beyond this threshold, the macaque could not pull the handle. The maximum pull force threshold of each macaque's upper limb may be different. After the animals learned and determined their maximum pull force thresholds, two pull-force testing devices and two animals were combined. At this point, the two animals began to learn to cooperate and pull the handle together within a specified time range to receive a reward. The required pull force threshold for each animal and the total pull force threshold for both animals were artificially set to determine whether a reward was given. The pull force value of each animal was recorded during the experiment. By combining the social hierarchy of two or more animals, this study analyzes the frequency and targets of potential fraudulent behaviors during experiments—that is, behaviors of shirking responsibility or seeking unearned gains—and identifies relevant factors. Future experiments will incorporate electrophysiological recordings and brain region intervention to investigate the correlation between fraudulent behavior and brain region function, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms underlying fraudulent behavior. Furthermore, it can also investigate the characteristics of fraudulent behavior in experimental animals with pathological social behavioral disorders and the differences between them and normal animals.

[0040] The testing device in this embodiment includes a tensile testing device test chamber and a tensile testing device control computer 200. The tensile testing device control computer 200 is connected to two tensile testing device test chambers via input / output signal lines 220 within an explosion-proof conduit 210. The tensile testing device test chamber contains a tensile sensor 110, a food pellet pump 120, a juice pump 130, a flexible and detachable water supply pipe 140, a sound stimulation generator 150, a light stimulation generator 160, a tensile handle 170, and a food tank 180. The tensile handle 170 is connected to the tensile sensor 110 by a spring. The tensile testing device control computer 200 is connected to the two tensile testing device test chambers via input / output signal lines 220 within an explosion-proof conduit 210. The tensile testing device control computer 200 contains a microcontroller I / O control card 230.

[0041] The tensile testing control system in this embodiment is equipped with dedicated control software, supporting experimental research on tensile behavior. Synchronous control of two experimental animals can be achieved via a USB interface computer I / O control card. The software is flexible, supports various signal acquisition and control methods, can synchronize with external devices, provides continuous signal recording and event recording functions, supports switching between Chinese and English interfaces, and runs on a Windows system.

[0042] Data Acquisition: During experiment execution, all experimental data is automatically collected. After the experiment, the data can be viewed, analyzed, and exported using data analysis software. Each experimental animal generates one data file per experiment.

[0043] In this embodiment, the pulling force sampling frequency is >60Hz, the pulling force range is 0-10kg, and the accuracy is 2-5g. The difficulty of the pulling task is adjusted by setting different pulling force thresholds to reward animals with food, and different auditory and visual cues are configured. Data collected for each macaque monkey in each test includes: time (pulling-down start time, peak duration, release time, duration of completing a full pulling action, etc., in milliseconds), force values ​​(peak force, average pulling force value for completing a full pulling action, average pulling force value over a fixed time period before and after the threshold, etc.), speed (pulling-down speed, release speed), number of pulls (number of times the peak pulling force is reached before the threshold is reached), and the success rate of passing the threshold in each test.

[0044] The operation process of this embodiment is as follows: The tensile testing device test box and the tensile testing device control computer 200 are powered on. When the animal in the first tensile testing device test box 100 pulls down the pull handle 170, the signal of the tensile sensor 110 is transmitted to the tensile testing device control computer 200 through the input / output signal line 220 in the explosion-proof pipe 210. The single-chip microcomputer I / O control card 230 determines whether the current maximum tensile force exceeds the threshold set by the technician. If it exceeds the preset threshold, the tensile testing device control computer 200 controls the food pellet pump 120 to feed the animal, so that the animal can receive a reward from the food trough 180, or through the juice pump 130 controlled by the relay, the juice is delivered to the animal's mouth through the flexible and detachable water supply tube 140, and the sound stimulation generator 150 and the light stimulation generator 160 are controlled to provide prompts.

[0045] During cooperative animal training, technicians first power on the tensile testing device test chamber and the tensile testing device control computer 200. When the animals in the first tensile testing device test chamber 100 and the second tensile testing device test chamber 101 pull down the handle 170 within a specified time period, the signal from the tensile sensor 110 is transmitted to the tensile testing device control computer 200 through the input / output signal line 220 inside the explosion-proof pipe 210. The microcontroller I / O control card 230 determines whether the maximum tensile force of the two sensors exceeds the threshold set by the technicians. If it exceeds the preset threshold, the tensile testing device control computer 200 controls two food pellet pumps 120 to feed the animals, allowing both animals to receive a reward from the food trough 180, or controls two juice pumps 130 to allow the animals to receive juice rewards from the flexible and detachable water supply pipe 140, and controls the sound stimulus generator 150 and the light stimulus generator 160 to provide prompts. If the tensile force of one animal does not reach the maximum preset threshold, the animal is not rewarded. When two animals can stably cooperate to eat a certain number of times (e.g., more than 100 times) within a limited time (e.g., within 10 seconds) with the maximum threshold pulling force, the maximum total threshold value is calculated. Then, the threshold limit for unilateral macaques is removed. Only when the sum of the pulling forces of the two animals pulling the handle within the specified time reaches the maximum total threshold value can both animals receive a food or juice reward. After stably cooperating to eat a certain number of times (e.g., more than 100 times), the total threshold value required for eating is reduced, and the pulling force of the two macaques pulling the handle changes during cooperative eating. If one animal cooperates with the other pulling the handle with a force less than its own maximum threshold while the other pulls the handle with its own maximum threshold, it is considered fraudulent behavior in cooperation; if an animal receives a reward without pulling the handle by 170 degrees, it is considered betrayal. By judging the pulling force values ​​of the cooperating animals on both sides, this test of macaque fraudulent behavior based on a pulling device can be achieved. Specific schemes can be customized according to experimental needs.

[0046] The macaque deception behavior testing system based on a tension device provided in this embodiment has advantages such as simple structure, convenient operation, and accurate and reliable data. This system can quantitatively assess macaque deception behavior, providing strong support for macaque behavioral research. Furthermore, this system can also be applied to behavioral research in other animals, demonstrating broad applicability.

[0047] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A quantitative testing method for deceptive and cooperative behavior in macaques, applied to a quantitative testing system, characterized in that, include: The quantitative testing system is activated, and each animal to be tested is tested individually or in groups based on preset thresholds and preset number of tests, and the test records are recorded. The quantitative testing system includes a data acquisition and control device and several experimental boxes; Each of the aforementioned experimental boxes includes a box body, inside which a test area, a tension sensor (110), and a feeding device are arranged. The tension sensor (110) and the feeding device are both installed on the inner wall of the box body. A tension handle (170) is installed in the test area, and the tension handle (170) is connected to the tension sensor (110) via a spring. The tension sensor (110) and the feeding device are both electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device. The test area is also equipped with a food trough (180), which is configured in conjunction with the feeding device; The feeding device includes a food pellet pump (120), the output end of which is connected to the food tank (180) through a conveying pipeline, and the food pellet pump (120) is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device. The feeding device also includes a juice pump (130), the output end of which is movably fitted with a water supply pipe (140), and the juice pump (130) is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device; A light stimulation generator (160) is installed at the bottom of the housing, and the light stimulation generator (160) is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device; A sound stimulation generator (150) is installed on the inner wall of the housing, and the sound stimulation generator (150) is electrically connected to the data acquisition and control device; The data acquisition and control device includes a control computer and a tensile threshold judgment device. One end of the control computer is electrically connected to the tensile threshold judgment device through a connecting pipe, and the other end is electrically connected to each device in each of the experimental boxes through a connecting pipe. The connecting pipeline includes an explosion-proof pipe (210) and a signal line (220) installed inside the explosion-proof pipe (210); The process of the individual test specifically includes: When the test animal pulls the handle (170), the control computer collects the sensing data of the tension sensor (110), and uses a tension threshold judgment device to compare the preset threshold with the sensing data. If the sensing data is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, the control computer controls the food pellet pump (120) or juice pump (130) to release a reward; if the sensing data is less than the preset threshold, no reward is given. The collaborative testing process specifically includes: In the collaborative test, when each of the test animals pulls the handle within a preset time period, if the pulling force sensing data corresponding to each test animal reaches a preset threshold, the food pellet pump (120) or juice pump (130) is controlled by the computer to release the reward; if the pulling force sensing data corresponding to one test animal does not reach the preset threshold, while the pulling force sensing data corresponding to another test animal reaches the preset threshold, and the total pulling force sensing data reaches the threshold, and both animals receive food or juice rewards, then the first animal is judged to have committed fraud. If one test animal does not pull the handle (170), while the pull sensor data of the other test animal reaches the preset threshold of total pull force, and both animals receive food or juice rewards, then the first animal is judged to have betrayed the test animal.

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