A Two-Choice Preference Assessment With Five Cotton-Top Tamarins (Saguinus oedipus)

A study selected 5 cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) located at the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Texas, for a food preference assessment. The study used a paired-choice procedure across 7 different food items for all 5 tamarins. Preferences for the food items across all the tamarins varied, although general trends were noted as well. This article discusses the benefits of using paired-choice preference assess-ments in zoo settings. During the past several decades, a number of researchers have attempted to quantify food preferences, (Thompson & Grant, 1971; Young & Chaplin, 1945; Young & Kappauf, 1962). However, only recently have researchers in applied settings focused on systematic preference assessments. Much of this research has focused on choosing one stimulus more frequently than another (Pierce & Epling, 1999). Several of the preference assessments developed include single-, paired-, and multiple-stimulus methods. Fisher et al. (1992) developed a systematic approach to differentiate between preferred and nonpreferred stimuli. They described a method in which stimuli were presented in concurrent pairs to an individual who then would select one of the stimuli (paired choice). When every combination was presented, the researchers then ranked the stimuli on the percentage of times an individual selected that stimulus. Fisher et al. (1992) compared this method to the Pace, Ivancic, Edwards, Iwata, and Page (1985) method, in which stimuli were presented individually to the subject and ranked o