Screens: A Shared Addiction - Even Marmosets Show Signs of Screen Dependence
In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the Central Institute for Experimental Medicine and Life Science in Japan have discovered that marmosets, small New World primates, exhibit persistent screen-tapping behaviour even when no reward is given, offering potential insights into human screen dependency.
The study, published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology, lasted for two months. During this period, each of the 14 participating marmosets was given a tablet for ten minutes at a time, with training sessions repeated two or three times a week. The tablet displayed nine small, silent videos of various nonhuman primate species. If a marmoset tapped on a video, the video was zoomed in on and nonhuman primate chattering sounds began to play.
The researchers found that the study "demonstrated that tablet screen-touch behavior in the marmoset could be shaped and maintained by an audiovisual stimulus consequence." This behaviour, they suggest, could potentially be a problem for zoo animals as well.
Marmosets, as model organisms in neuroscience, share important features with human brain structure and social behaviors. By observing how these primates respond to screens displaying naturalistic or artificial stimuli, scientists can gain insights into how primates, including humans, visually orient towards and interact with digital or social information.
The study sheds light on neural mechanisms of screen attention and engagement, including reward systems and sensory integration pathways. It also provides insights into social communication and cognitive effects of prolonged screen exposure, given marmosets’ complex vocalizations and social behaviors.
These insights help form hypotheses about human screen dependency and habitual digital device use. For instance, they reveal how sensory stimuli on screens capture attention and motivate engagement, and behavioural patterns that may lead to habitual or excessive screen use. Potential sex or age differences in visual attention biases, as similarly studied in mice, may have parallels in primate models relevant to human development.
While direct empirical studies linking marmoset screen behaviour to human screen dependency are emerging, the utilization of marmoset models to study screen interaction complements research on neural and behavioural responses to digital stimuli in humans. If further specific studies are conducted to precisely map these connections, they could provide valuable insights into the neural and behavioural mechanisms underlying human screen dependency.
In summary, the study suggests that marmoset screen interactions provide a promising model to study neural and behavioural mechanisms underlying human screen dependency, revealing how primate brains orient to and engage with digital visual and auditory stimuli, informing foundational aspects of attention and social communication affected by screen use. Future research based on this study could enhance our understanding of human audiovisual reinforced behaviours related to the use of computers, tablets, smartphones, and more.
