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Cognitive flexibility is an executive function that allows us to switch from one cognitive operation to another. This ability is important for problem-solving in the physical and social worlds. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether there is a link between individual cognitive flexibility abilities in baboons and their social position. This study was carried out with a group of Guinea baboons (Papio papio) from the “Cognition et comportement du Primate” (CCDP) platform housed at the Rousset sur Arc CNRS primatology center. This platform allows baboons to interact freely with a battery of operant conditioning systems (ALDM, Fagot & Paleressompoule, 2009) on which we present cognitive tests on touch screens.First, we exposed the baboons to an adaptation of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test task (WCST: Berg, 1948) for two years. Analysis of the data shows an effect of age, with cognitive flexibility - as measured by the number of perseveration errors - being maximal in adults but less effective in the youngest and oldest baboons. Second, we studied supplanting behaviours in ALDM test systems to test whether these measures reflect hierarchical ranks. Comparison with data from direct observations allowed a validation of this hypothesis. Third, we analysed social networks and hierarchical ranks considering cognitive performance in the WSCT task. The baboons at the centre of the network (centrality index) are the most flexible in the WSCT task, while no effect appears with respect to hierarchical rank. Together, these data show the importance of executive control in the management of social problems in the Guinea baboon.; La flexibilité cognitive est une fonction exécutive permettant de passer d’une opération cognitive à une autre. Cette capacité est importante dans des situations de résolution de problèmes dans le monde physique, mais elle semble également jouer un rôle important dans le monde social. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif de cette thèse était de vérifier s’il existe un lien entre les capacités individuelles de flexibilité cognitive chez le babouin, et son positionnement social. Cette étude a été réalisée avec une troupe de babouins de Guinée (Papio papio) de la plateforme Cognition et Comportement du primate (CCDP) installée sur le site de la station de primatologie CNRS de Rousset sur Arc. Cette plateforme permet aux babouins d’interagir librement avec une batterie de systèmes de conditionnement opérant (ALDM, Fagot & Paleressompoule, 2009) sur lesquels nous présentons des tests cognitifs sur écrans tactiles.Dans un premier temps, nous avons exposé pendant deux ans les individus du groupe à une adaptation de la tâche du Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST : Berg, 1948). L’analyse des données montre un fort effet d’âge, la flexibilité cognitive – telle que mesurée par le nombre de persévérations dans la tâche de WCST – est maximale chez les adultes, mais moins efficace chez les babouins les plus jeunes et les plus âgés. Dans un second temps, nous avons étudié les comportements de supplantation dans les systèmes de test ALDM afin de vérifier si ces comportements reflètent les rangs hiérarchiques. La comparaison de ces données avec celles d’observations directes a permis une validation de cette hypothèse. Enfin, dans un troisième temps, nous avons analysé les réseaux sociaux et les rangs hiérarchiques à la lumière des performances cognitives dans la tâche de WSCT. Ces analyses révèlent que les individus au centre du réseau (indice de centralité) sont les plus flexibles dans la tâche de WSCT, alors qu’aucun effet n’apparaît en ce qui concerne le rang hiérarchique. L’ensemble de ces données montre l’importance du contrôle exécutif dans la gestion de problèmes sociaux chez le babouin de Guinée.

International audience; Cognitive flexibility in non-human primates is traditionally measured with the conceptual set shifting task (CSST). In our laboratory, Guinea baboons (N=24) were continuously tested with a CSST task during approximately 10 years. Our task involved the presentation of three stimuli on a touch screen all made from 3 possible colours and 3 shapes. The subjects had to touch the stimulus containing the stimulus dimension (e.g., green) that was constantly rewarded until the stimulus dimension changed. Analysis of perseveration responses, scores and response times collected during the last two years of testing (approximately 1.6 million trials) indicate (1) that the baboons have developed an “expert” form of cognitive flexibility and (2) that their performance was age-dependent, it was at a developing stage in juveniles, optimal in adults, declining in middle-aged, and strongly impaired in the oldest age group. A direct comparison with the data collected by Bonté, Flemming & Fagot (2011) on some of the same baboons and same task as in the current study indicates that (3) the performance of all age groups has improved after 10 years of training, even for the now old individuals. All these data validate the use of non-human primates as models of human cognitive flexibility and suggest that cognitive flexibility in humans has a long evolutionary history.

International audience; Fagot and Paleressompoulle [Fagot and Paleressompoulle (2009) Behav Res Methods 41: 396-404] described a new automated learning device for monkeys (ALDM) to test the cognitive functions of nonhuman primates within their social groups. However, the impact of the ALDM procedure on animal well-being needs to be investigated. The present study assessed the consequences of ALDM testing on the behavioral repertoire of Guinea baboons (Papio papio) and their stress levels as inferred from measurements of saliva cortisol. Accessibility to ALDM test computers reduced the number of resting periods as well as the number of stereotypies. Lower cortisol levels were also found during ALDM testing. These findings and others demonstrate that ALDM testing has a positive impact on animal well-being and can be considered as a means for behavioral enrichment in captive primates. Am. J. Primatol. 76:56-64, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.