Psychometric Tools to Study Cognition, Sensory Functioning, and Social Behavior in Infant and Adolescent Nonhuman Primates

The behavioral repertoire of nonhuman primates is highly evolved and includes advanced problem-solving capabilities, complex social relationships, and sensory acuity equal or superior to humans. For some potential neurotoxicants, nonhuman primate models have provided valuable data that are helpful in identifying the likely effects of developmental exposures on human infants and children. The ability to identify subtle effects of neurotoxicant exposure is highly dependent on the selection of measurement tools that can identify meaningful individual differences in performance. This chapter provides brief descriptions of assessment measures that have been developed for young monkeys, both infants and adolescents, to investigate emerging cognitive skills, sensory functioning, and social behaviors. Examples of how these tests have been used in previous research investigating the developmental effects of neurotoxicants are provided to illustrate the contribution of this research to our knowledge regarding important environmental determinants of behavior.