Emotion recognition in nonhuman primates: How experimental research can contribute to a better understanding of underlying mechanisms

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 123, pp. 24–47

Abstract

Recognising conspecifics' emotional expressions is important for nonhuman primates to navigate their physical and social environment. We address two possible mechanisms underlying emotion recognition: emotional contagion, the automatic matching of the observer's emotions to the emotional state of the observed individual, and cognitive empathy, the ability to understand the meaning and cause of emotional expressions while maintaining a distinction between own and others' emotions. We review experimental research in nonhuman primates to gain insight into the evolution of emotion recognition. Importantly, we focus on how emotional contagion and cognitive empathy can be studied experimentally. Evidence for aspects of cognitive empathy in different nonhuman primate lineages suggests that a wider range of primates than commonly assumed can infer emotional meaning from emotional expressions. Possibly, analogous rather than homologous evolution underlies emotion recognition. However, conclusions regarding its exact evolutionary course require more research in different modalities and species.

Authors 3

1. Elisabeth G.I. Nieuwburg

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Amsterdam, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies (IIS), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Annemie Ploeger

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Programme Group Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

3. Mariska Esther Kret corresponding Aachen Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.e.kret@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

   Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden, The Netherlands

   Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands