Monkeys favour music over screen time, say researchers
In the study at a zoo in Helsinki, white-faced sakis could trigger audio or visual stimuli on demand
Haroon Siddique
Sun 12 Jun 2022 19.01 EDT
Three white-faced sakis could choose to listen to audio or visual stimuli in the
study at Korkeasaari zoo, Helskini.
Photograph: China News Service/VCG/Getty Images
Monkeys given their own “primate-focused” versions of Spotify and Netflix were more likely to choose audio stimuli over screen time, a study has found.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow and Aalto University in Finland set out to explore how a group of three white-faced saki monkeys at Korkeasaari zoo in Helsinki would respond to being able to trigger audio or visual stimuli on demand.
Infrared sensors were used to create three equally sized interactive zones in a tunnel in the monkey’s enclosure and the sakis would trigger either a video or a sound on a screen in front of them, which played for as long as they chose to stay.
Their interactions were recorded, and the sakis were found to trigger audio stimuli twice as much in total as visual stimuli – suggesting they would rather listen to the Arctic Monkeys than watch Planet of the Apes.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/13/monkeys-favour-music-over-screen-time-say-researchers