Do they know or just do it? Investigating implicit and explicit sequence learning by capuchin monkeys, human adults and children

In humans, it is now established that sequential regularities can be learned implicitly (i.e. without acquiring conscious knowledge) or explicitly (with acquisition of conscious knowledge). Is this dual-processing capability also the case for non-human primates? In this study, we designed a non-verbal task to probe implicit and explicit sequence learning in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp., n = 12), human adults (n = 12), and children from 5 to 10 years old (n = 64). After learning spatial sequences on a touchscreen, participants’ conscious access to the sequences was probed with a forced choice sequence completion test. All performed above chance level in this test, without being instructed or trained to do so. However, only human adults who reported the presence of regularities performed at ceiling level. We suggest future directions that could build on our findings to disentangle implicit and explicit learning in monkeys and children.