Back to Search Start Over

Chimpanzees know that others make inferences.

Authors :
Schmelz M
Call J
Tomasello M
Source :
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2011 Feb 15; Vol. 108 (7), pp. 3077-9. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 Jan 31.
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

If chimpanzees are faced with two opaque boards on a table, in the context of searching for a single piece of food, they do not choose the board lying flat (because if food was under there it would not be lying flat) but, rather, they choose the slanted one- presumably inferring that some unperceived food underneath is causing the slant. Here we demonstrate that chimpanzees know that other chimpanzees in the same situation will make a similar inference. In a back-and-forth foraging game, when their competitor had chosen before them, chimpanzees tended to avoid the slanted board on the assumption that the competitor had already chosen it. Chimpanzees can determine the inferences that a conspecific is likely to make and then adjust their competitive strategies accordingly.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1091-6490
Volume :
108
Issue :
7
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
21282649
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1000469108