An automated food delivery system for behavioral and neurophysiological studies of learning and memory in freely moving monkeys

We describe a custom-built feeder based on stepping motor technology controlled by a laboratory computer. The feeder dispenses a wide range of foods: any fruit, vegetable, or nut. The feeder allows the investigator to reward monkeys with different foods within a single experimental day. The monkey&#...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavior research methods 2005-05, Vol.37 (2), p.368-372
Main Authors: WILSON, Fraser A. W, KIM, Byoung-Hoon, RYOU, Jae-Wook, MA, Yuan-Ye
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal memory
Animals
Automation
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Food
Food Dispensers, Automatic - instrumentation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Learning
Macaca mulatta
Memory
Methodology. Experimentation
Monkeys & apes
Movement
Neurophysiology - instrumentation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics. Statistics. Methodology
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Summary:We describe a custom-built feeder based on stepping motor technology controlled by a laboratory computer. The feeder dispenses a wide range of foods: any fruit, vegetable, or nut. The feeder allows the investigator to reward monkeys with different foods within a single experimental day. The monkey's motivation to perform tasks is high and does not rely upon food regulation. The avoidance of regulation, as well as the palatability and variety of the rewards dispensed by our device, distinguishes it from commercially available products. We also describe the use of the feeder in the context of novel behavioral and neurophysiological studies in freely moving monkeys.
ISSN:1554-351X
1554-3528
DOI:10.3758/BF03192705