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Forss S, Ciria A, Clark F, Galusca CL, Harrison D, Lee S. A transdisciplinary view on curiosity beyond linguistic humans: animals, infants, and artificial intelligence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:979-998. [PMID: 38287201 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Curiosity is a core driver for life-long learning, problem-solving and decision-making. In a broad sense, curiosity is defined as the intrinsically motivated acquisition of novel information. Despite a decades-long history of curiosity research and the earliest human theories arising from studies of laboratory rodents, curiosity has mainly been considered in two camps: 'linguistic human' and 'other'. This is despite psychology being heritable, and there are many continuities in cognitive capacities across the animal kingdom. Boundary-pushing cross-disciplinary debates on curiosity are lacking, and the relative exclusion of pre-linguistic infants and non-human animals has led to a scientific impasse which more broadly impedes the development of artificially intelligent systems modelled on curiosity in natural agents. In this review, we synthesize literature across multiple disciplines that have studied curiosity in non-verbal systems. By highlighting how similar findings have been produced across the separate disciplines of animal behaviour, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and computational cognition, we discuss how this can be used to advance our understanding of curiosity. We propose, for the first time, how features of curiosity could be quantified and therefore studied more operationally across systems: across different species, developmental stages, and natural or artificial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Forss
- Collegium Helveticum, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alejandra Ciria
- School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fay Clark
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Cristina-Loana Galusca
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, CNRS Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - David Harrison
- Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Saein Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program of EcoCreative, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Amici F, Meacci S, Caray E, Oña L, Liebal K, Ciucci P. A first exploratory comparison of the behaviour of wolves (Canis lupus) and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:9. [PMID: 38429445 PMCID: PMC10907477 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01849-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Extensive introgression of genes from domesticated taxa may be a serious threat for the genomic integrity and adaptability of wild populations. Grey wolves (Canis lupus) are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon, but there are no studies yet assessing the potential behavioural effects of dog-introgression in wolves. In this study, we conducted a first systematic comparison of admixed (N = 11) and non-admixed (N = 14) wolves in captivity, focusing on their reaction to unfamiliar humans and novel objects, and the cohesiveness of their social groups. When exposed to unfamiliar humans in the experimental task, wolves were more vigilant, fearful and aggressive than admixed wolves, and less likely to approach humans, but also more likely to spend time in human proximity. When exposed to novel objects, wolves were more aggressive than admixed wolves, less likely to spend time in object proximity, and more likely to interact with objects, but also less vigilant and as fearful as admixed wolves. Finally, social networks were more cohesive in wolves than in admixed wolves. Although caution is needed when comparing groups of captive individuals with different life experiences, our study suggests that dog admixture may lead to important behavioural changes in wolves, with possible implications for conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Amici
- Life Sciences, Institute for Biology, Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Simone Meacci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Emmeline Caray
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Linda Oña
- Life Sciences, Institute for Biology, Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katja Liebal
- Life Sciences, Institute for Biology, Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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3
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Danel S, Rebout N, Bureau L, Zidat T, Biro D, Bonadonna F. Responses to novelty in wild insular birds: comparing breeding populations in ecologically contrasting habitats. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:4. [PMID: 38429425 PMCID: PMC10907422 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01838-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Islands have always provided ideal natural laboratories for assessing ecological parameters influencing behaviour. One hypothesis that lends itself well to testing in island habitats suggests that animals frequenting highly variable environments should be motivated to approach and interact with (i.e. explore) novelty. Intra-species comparisons of populations living in ecologically different island habitats may, thus, help reveal the factors that modulate animals' responses to novelty. In this study, we presented novel objects to two geographically isolated breeding populations of the black-faced sheathbill (Chionis minor), a sedentary land-based bird that frequents remote sub-Antarctic islands. In the first population (Chionis minor ssp. crozettensis), the "Crozet group" (Baie du Marin, Ile de la Possession, Crozet Islands), breeding pairs inhabit a variable habitat close to penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) colonies. In the second population (Chionis minor ssp. minor), the "Kerguelen group" (île Verte, Morbihan gulf, Kerguelen Islands) breeding pairs live in penguin-free territories. In this latter population, the environment is less variable due to the presence of a broad intertidal zone which ensures year-round food availability. At both Kerguelen and Crozet, at least one breeding partner in all pairs approached at least one of the novel objects, and we found no significant differences in the latency of approach between the two populations. However, sheathbills at Crozet touched objects significantly more than birds at Kerguelen, and were also faster to touch them. We discuss how environmental variability, along with other potential influencing factors, may favour exploration of novelty in this wild insular bird.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara Danel
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA.
| | - Nancy Rebout
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Léna Bureau
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Timothée Zidat
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
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Kerjean E, van de Waal E, Canteloup C. Social dynamics of vervet monkeys are dependent upon group identity. iScience 2024; 27:108591. [PMID: 38299029 PMCID: PMC10829874 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Traditions are widespread across the animal realm. Here, we investigated inter-group variability of social dynamics in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). We analyzed 84,704 social interactions involving 247 individuals collected over nine years in three neighboring groups of wild vervet monkeys. We found that in one group - Ankhase - individuals had a higher propensity to be affiliative (i.e., sociality) and grooming interactions were more reciprocal. Despite yearly fluctuations in sociality, differences between groups remained stable over time. Moreover, our statistical model predictions confirmed that these findings were maintained for similar sex ratios, age distributions, and group sizes. Strikingly, our results suggested that dispersing males adapted their sociality to the sociality of the group they integrated with. As a whole, our study sheds light on the existence of stable social dynamics dependent upon group identity in wild vervet monkeys and suggests that at least part of this variability is socially mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kerjean
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center of Integrative Biology, University of Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Canteloup
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Vaud, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive & Adaptive Neurosciences, CNRS - UMR 7364, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Schuppli C, Nellissen L, Carvajal L, Ashbury AM, Oliver-Caldwell N, Rahmaeti T, Laumer I, Haun D. Ecological, social, and intrinsic factors affecting wild orangutans' curiosity, assessed using a field experiment. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13184. [PMID: 37580333 PMCID: PMC10425418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39214-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The readiness to interact with and explore novel stimuli-i.e., curiosity-is the cornerstone of innovation. Great apes show broad and complex innovation repertoires. However, little is known about the factors that affect curiosity in wild apes. To shed light on wild apes' curiosity, we measured the reactions of wild Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) to an experiment apparatus. Overall, individuals were reluctant to touch the apparatus. However, compared to adults, immatures showed higher tendencies to explore (measured through looking durations and the probability of touching the apparatus) and to approach (measured through approach latencies and approach distances) the apparatus but were more likely to show behavioral signs of agitation. The presence of conspecifics who approached the apparatus increased visual exploration and approach tendencies. Prevailing habitat food availability positively affected visual exploration but had a negative effect on approach tendencies. These findings indicate that intrinsic, social, and ecological factors affect reactions to novelty in wild orangutans and suggest that exploration, neophobia and neophilia are independently regulated. Because reactions to novelty can be an essential pathway to innovation, our results suggest that factors acting on different elements of curiosity must be considered to understand the evolution of innovative tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany.
- Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59, 04109, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Lara Nellissen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Éco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP 135, Rue Cuvier, 75 231, Paris Cedex 5, France
- Institute of Biology, Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Luz Carvajal
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Alison M Ashbury
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Natalie Oliver-Caldwell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tri Rahmaeti
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, Graduate School, Universitas Nasional, Jalan Sawo Manila, RT.14/RW.3, Jakarta, 12550, Indonesia
| | - Isabelle Laumer
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Daniel Haun
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Preuschoft S, Marshall AJ, Scott L, Badriyah SN, Purba MDT, Yuliani E, Corbi P, Yassir I, Wibawanto MA, Kalcher-Sommersguter E. The Development of Feeding Competence in Rehabilitant Orphaned Orangutans and How to Measure It. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2111. [PMID: 37443909 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
For critically endangered species, restorative conservation becomes increasingly important. Successful re-introduction of rescued wild orangutan orphans requires rehabilitation mimicking maternal rearing in the wild. Feeding competence-what to eat, where and when to find food-needs to be learned before re-introduction. We observed seven orphans (2-10 years old) for a period of 3 years during their rehabilitation at the Yayasan Jejak Pulang forest school. Of the 111 plant genera eaten by the orphans, 92 percent were known orangutan food plants. Five plant genera were eaten by all orphans in over 90 percent of the months within the observation period. The Fruit Availability Index (FAI) was used to predict which parts of a plant were consumed by the orphans. We found that the orphans ate primarily fruit when the FAI was high, but consumed more young leaves, cambium, and pith when FAI was low. Thus, the orphans exhibited food choices very similar to mature wild orangutans and appropriate to forest productivity. The orphans' acquisition of feeding competence was facilitated by their immersion into a natural forest environment in combination with possibilities for observational learning from conspecifics as well as caregivers modelling food processing and consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Signe Preuschoft
- Ape Protection Unit, Four Paws, 22767 Hamburg, Germany
- Yayasan Jejak Pulang, Samboja 75276, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - Andrew J Marshall
- Department of Anthropology, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Program in the Environment, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Lorna Scott
- Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37083 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | | | - Erma Yuliani
- Yayasan Jejak Pulang, Samboja 75276, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - Paloma Corbi
- Ape Protection Unit, Four Paws, 22767 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ishak Yassir
- BPSILHK, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Samboja 75276, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - M Ari Wibawanto
- BKSDA Kalimantan Timur, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Samarinda 75243, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - Elfriede Kalcher-Sommersguter
- Ape Protection Unit, Four Paws International, 1150 Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
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7
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Bohn M, Eckert J, Hanus D, Lugauer B, Holtmann J, Haun DBM. Great ape cognition is structured by stable cognitive abilities and predicted by developmental conditions. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:927-938. [PMID: 37106158 PMCID: PMC10250201 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02050-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Great ape cognition is used as a reference point to specify the evolutionary origins of complex cognitive abilities, including in humans. This research often assumes that great ape cognition consists of cognitive abilities (traits) that account for stable differences between individuals, which change and develop in response to experience. Here, we test the validity of these assumptions by assessing repeatability of cognitive performance among captive great apes (Gorilla gorilla, Pongo abelii, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes) in five tasks covering a range of cognitive domains. We examine whether individual characteristics (age, group, test experience) or transient situational factors (life events, testing arrangements or sociality) influence cognitive performance. Our results show that task-level performance is generally stable over time; four of the five tasks were reliable measurement tools. Performance in the tasks was best explained by stable differences in cognitive abilities (traits) between individuals. Cognitive abilities were further correlated, suggesting shared cognitive processes. Finally, when predicting cognitive performance, we found stable individual characteristics to be more important than variables capturing transient experience. Taken together, this study shows that great ape cognition is structured by stable cognitive abilities that respond to different developmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Bohn
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Johanna Eckert
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Hanus
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benedikt Lugauer
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Holtmann
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel B M Haun
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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8
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Field experiments find no evidence that chimpanzee nut cracking can be independently innovated. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:487-494. [PMID: 35075258 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01272-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cumulative culture has been claimed a hallmark of human evolution. Yet, the uniqueness of human culture is heavily debated. The zone of latent solutions hypothesis states that only humans have cultural forms that require form-copying social learning and are culture-dependent. Non-human ape cultural behaviours are considered 'latent solutions', which can be independently (re-)innovated. Others claim that chimpanzees, like humans, have cumulative culture. Here, we use field experiments at Seringbara (Nimba Mountains, Guinea) to test whether chimpanzee nut cracking can be individually (re-)innovated. We provided: (1) palm nuts and stones, (2) palm fruit bunch, (3) cracked palm nuts and (4) Coula nuts and stones. Chimpanzee parties visited (n = 35) and explored (n = 11) the experiments but no nut cracking occurred. In these experiments, chimpanzees did not individually (re-)innovate nut cracking under ecologically valid conditions. Our null results are consistent with the hypothesis that chimpanzee nut cracking is a product of social learning.
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9
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Captivity and habituation to humans raise curiosity in vervet monkeys. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:671-682. [PMID: 34855018 PMCID: PMC9107434 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01589-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The cognitive mechanisms causing intraspecific behavioural differences between wild and captive animals remain poorly understood. Although diminished neophobia, resulting from a safer environment and more “free” time, has been proposed to underlie these differences among settings, less is known about how captivity influences exploration tendency. Here, we refer to the combination of reduced neophobia and increased interest in exploring novelty as “curiosity”, which we systematically compared across seven groups of captive and wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) by exposing them to a test battery of eight novel stimuli. In the wild sample, we included both monkeys habituated to human presence and unhabituated individuals filmed using motion-triggered cameras. Results revealed clear differences in number of approaches to novel stimuli among captive, wild-habituated and wild-unhabituated monkeys. As foraging pressure and predation risks are assumed to be equal for all wild monkeys, our results do not support a relationship between curiosity and safety or free time. Instead, we propose “the habituation hypothesis” as an explanation of why well-habituated and captive monkeys both approached and explored novelty more than unhabituated individuals. We conclude that varying levels of human and/or human artefact habituation, rather than the risks present in natural environments, better explain variation in curiosity in our sample of vervet monkeys.
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van Schaik CP, Triki Z, Bshary R, Heldstab SA. A Farewell to the Encephalization Quotient: A New Brain Size Measure for Comparative Primate Cognition. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:1-12. [PMID: 34247154 DOI: 10.1159/000517013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Both absolute and relative brain sizes vary greatly among and within the major vertebrate lineages. Scientists have long debated how larger brains in primates and hominins translate into greater cognitive performance, and in particular how to control for the relationship between the noncognitive functions of the brain and body size. One solution to this problem is to establish the slope of cognitive equivalence, i.e., the line connecting organisms with an identical bauplan but different body sizes. The original approach to estimate this slope through intraspecific regressions was abandoned after it became clear that it generated slopes that were too low by an unknown margin due to estimation error. Here, we revisit this method. We control for the error problem by focusing on highly dimorphic primate species with large sample sizes and fitting a line through the mean values for adult females and males. We obtain the best estimate for the slope of circa 0.27, a value much lower than those constructed using all mammal species and close to the value expected based on the genetic correlation between brain size and body size. We also find that the estimate of cognitive brain size based on cognitive equivalence fits empirical cognitive studies better than the encephalization quotient, which should therefore be avoided in future studies on primates and presumably mammals and birds in general. The use of residuals from the line of cognitive equivalence may change conclusions concerning the cognitive abilities of extant and extinct primate species, including hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology and Anthropological Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Zegni Triki
- Behavioral Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Science, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, .,Institute of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden,
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Behavioral Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Science, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Sandra A Heldstab
- Department of Anthropology and Anthropological Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Schuppli C, Van Cauwenberghe A, Mitra Setia T, Haun D. The ontogeny of exploratory object manipulation behaviour in wild orangutans. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2021; 3:e39. [PMID: 37588526 PMCID: PMC10427332 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2021.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In human infants, exploratory object manipulation is a major vehicle for cognitive stimulation as well as an important way to learn about objects and basic physical concepts in general. The development of human infants' exploratory object manipulation follows distinct developmental patterns. So far, the degree of evolutionary continuity of this developmental process remains unclear. We investigated the development of exploratory object manipulations in wild orangutans. Our data included 3200 exploration events collected on 13 immatures between the ages of 0.5 and 13 years, at the Suaq Balimbing monitoring station in Indonesia. Our results identify several parallels between the development of exploratory behaviour in humans and orangutans: on top of a highly similar overall age trajectory, we found an increase in variability of the actions used, an increase in the number of body parts involved in each event, and an overall decrease of mouthing of the objects. All in all, our results show that orangutans progress through a developmental sequence of different aspects of exploration behaviour. In combination with previous findings from captivity, our results also provide evidence that exploratory object manipulations reflect cognitive development and might function as a means of cognitive stimulation not just in humans but across the great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anaïs Van Cauwenberghe
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tatang Mitra Setia
- Department of Biology, Graduate School and Faculty of Biology, Universitas Nasional, Jl. Sawo Manila, RT.14/RW.3, Ps. Minggu, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Daniel Haun
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103Leipzig, Germany
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Abstract
The search for human cognitive uniqueness often relied on low ecological tests with subjects experiencing unnatural ontogeny. Recently, neuroscience demonstrated the significance of a rich environment on the development of brain structures and cognitive abilities. This stresses the importance to consider the prior knowledge that subjects bring in any experiment. Second, recent developments in multivariate statistics control precisely for a number of factors and their interactions. Making controls in natural observations equivalent and sometimes superior to captive experimental studies without the drawbacks of the latter methods. Thus, we can now investigate complex cognition by accounting for many different factors, as required when solving tasks in nature. Combining both progresses allows us to move toward an “experience-specific cognition”, recognizing that cognition varies extensively in nature as individuals adapt to the precise challenges they experience in life. Such cognitive specialization makes cross-species comparisons more complex, while potentially identifying human cognitive uniqueness.
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13
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Learning to Be an Orangutan-Implications of Life History for Orangutan Rehabilitation. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030767. [PMID: 33802019 PMCID: PMC8001071 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Like humans, great apes have extended childhoods during which they depend on maternal pedagogy. To help rescued orphans recover from maternal loss our rehabilitation programme is modelled on the natural infant development of orangutans. Orphaned apes cannot be released back into freedom before they have learned the skills necessary to survive alone. To prevent suffering after release we documented the development of survival skills during the rehabilitation process. Seven orangutan orphans aged 1.5–9 years were observed over 18 months in their forest school, immersed in a natural forest environment with human surrogate mothers and other orphans. Social interactions deviated from wild mother-reared immatures: Infant orphans spent more time playing with peers, rested less, and were far from their human surrogate mothers earlier and often than wild immatures are from their biological mothers. Around weaning age, 4- to 7-year-old orphans took up a typical orangutan life-style: they interacted less with human surrogate mothers and peers, stayed high in the trees and slept in nests in the forest. Their time budgets resembled those of wild adults. We conclude that it is not only ethical but also possible to assess survival competences of rehabilitant orphans before release and choose release candidates accordingly. Abstract Orangutans depend on social learning for the acquisition of survival skills. The development of skills is not usually assessed in rescued orphans’ pre-release. We collected data of seven orphans over an 18-months-period to monitor the progress of ontogenetic changes. The orphans, 1.5–9 years old, were immersed in a natural forest environment with human surrogate mothers and other orphans. Social interactions deviated significantly from those of wild mother-reared immatures. Infants spent more time playing socially with peers, at the expense of resting and solitary play. Infants were also more often and at an earlier age distant from their human surrogate mothers than wild immatures are from their biological mothers. We found important changes towards an orangutan-typical lifestyle in 4- to 7-year-old orphans, corresponding to the weaning age in maternally reared immatures. The older orphans spent less time interacting with human surrogate mothers or peers, started to use the canopy more than lower forest strata and began to sleep in nests in the forest. Their time budgets resembled those of wild adults. In conclusion, juvenile orphans can develop capacities that qualify them as candidates for release back into natural habitat when protected from humanising influences and immersed in a species-typical environment.
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Castellano-Navarro A, Macanás-Martínez E, Xu Z, Guillén-Salazar F, MacIntosh AJJ, Amici F, Albiach-Serrano A. Japanese Macaques' (Macaca fuscata) sensitivity to human gaze and visual perspective in contexts of threat, cooperation, and competition. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5264. [PMID: 33664316 PMCID: PMC7933183 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84250-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Gaze sensitivity allows us to interpret the visual perspective of others, inferring their intentions and attentional states. In order to clarify the evolutionary history of this ability, we assessed the response of free-ranging Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) to human gaze in three contexts: threat (Experiment 1), cooperation (Experiment 2), and competition (Experiment 3). Subjects interpreted the direct gaze of an approaching human as a sign of threat, showing a greater flight initiation distance and more threats towards the human in this condition than when the human gazed in another direction. Subjects also adapted their behavior to the attentional cues of a human who gave them food, by for example moving into his visual field. However, the macaques did not seem to take the visual perspective of a human competing with them over food, as they failed to first retrieve the food that was not visible to the human (i.e., located behind an opaque barrier). Our results support the idea that Japanese macaques can respond to a human’s gaze flexibly depending on the context. Moreover, they highlight the importance of studying animal behavior across different species and contexts to better understand the selective pressures that might have led to its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Castellano-Navarro
- Ethology and Animal Welfare Section, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Tirant lo Blanc 7, 46115, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Emilio Macanás-Martínez
- Ethology and Animal Welfare Section, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Tirant lo Blanc 7, 46115, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain
| | - Zhihong Xu
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41-2, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan
| | - Federico Guillén-Salazar
- Ethology and Animal Welfare Section, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Tirant lo Blanc 7, 46115, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain
| | - Andrew J J MacIntosh
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41-2, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan
| | - Federica Amici
- Research Group Primate Behavioral Ecology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Life Science, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Albiach-Serrano
- Ethology and Animal Welfare Section, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Tirant lo Blanc 7, 46115, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain
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Martina C, Cowlishaw G, Carter AJ. Individual differences in task participation in wild chacma baboons. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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16
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Forss S, Motes-Rodrigo A, Hrubesch C, Tennie C. Chimpanzees' ( Pan troglodytes) problem-solving skills are influenced by housing facility and captive care duration. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10263. [PMID: 33304648 PMCID: PMC7698692 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although a large body of primate cognition research is done in captive institutions, little is known about how much individuals from different facilities vary in their experiences and cognitive skills. Here we present the results of an experimental study investigating how physical cognitive skills vary between chimpanzees in relation to captive settings and their time in captivity. We tested 59 chimpanzees housed at two different captive facilities (a rehabilitation center (sanctuary) and a zoo) in three problem-solving tasks. Our results showed that chimpanzees at the two housing facilities significantly differed in overall task performance. On average, the sanctuary chimpanzees outperformed the chimpanzees housed at the zoo in the detour reaching task and the honey trap task. However, the zoo chimpanzees performed slightly better on average in the learning task. We propose that, for this particular sample, the documented differences result from a combination of factors, such as prior experience with cognitive testing, motivation levels and varying degrees of human exposure. Within the sanctuary sample, we found that chimpanzees who arrived at an earlier age at the sanctuary and had therefore spent a larger percentage of their lives in a captive environment, were better problem-solvers than those that arrived at a later age to the sanctuary. Thus, rehabilitation and time in captivity contributed to improved physical cognitive skills in sanctuary chimpanzees. Our results highlight the importance of studying intraspecific variation and the effect that previous experience and living conditions might have on physical cognitive skills in non-human apes. Accordingly, we should be cautious when extrapolating findings of cognitive studies from one population to the species as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Forss
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alba Motes-Rodrigo
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christine Hrubesch
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Leintalzoo, Schwaigern, Germany
| | - Claudio Tennie
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Schubiger MN, Fichtel C, Burkart JM. Validity of Cognitive Tests for Non-human Animals: Pitfalls and Prospects. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1835. [PMID: 32982822 PMCID: PMC7488350 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparative psychology assesses cognitive abilities and capacities of non-human animals and humans. Based on performance differences and similarities in various species in cognitive tests, it is inferred how their minds work and reconstructed how cognition might have evolved. Critically, such species comparisons are only valid and meaningful if the tasks truly capture individual and inter-specific variation in cognitive abilities rather than contextual variables that might affect task performance. Unlike in human test psychology, however, cognitive tasks for non-human primates (and most other animals) have been rarely evaluated regarding their measurement validity. We review recent studies that address how non-cognitive factors affect performance in a set of commonly used cognitive tasks, and if cognitive tests truly measure individual variation in cognitive abilities. We find that individual differences in emotional and motivational factors primarily affect performance via attention. Hence, it is crucial to systematically control for attention during cognitive tasks to obtain valid and reliable results. Aspects of test design, however, can also have a substantial effect on cognitive performance. We conclude that non-cognitive factors are a minor source of measurement error if acknowledged and properly controlled for. It is essential, however, to validate and eventually re-design several primate cognition tasks in order to ascertain that they capture the cognitive abilities they were designed to measure. This will provide a more solid base for future cognitive comparisons within primates but also across a wider range of non-human animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michèle N. Schubiger
- Evolutionary Cognition Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- World Ape Fund, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus “Primate Cognition”, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Judith M. Burkart
- Evolutionary Cognition Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Bandini E, Harrison RA. Innovation in chimpanzees. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1167-1197. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Bandini
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology The University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Rachel A. Harrison
- Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
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Abstract
Innovation is the ability to solve novel problems or find novel solutions to familiar problems, and it is known to affect fitness in both human and non-human animals. In primates, innovation has been mostly studied in captivity, although differences in living conditions may affect individuals’ ability to innovate. Here, we tested innovation in a wild group of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). In four different conditions, we presented the group with several identical foraging boxes containing food. To understand which individual characteristics and behavioural strategies best predicted innovation rate, we measured the identity of the individuals manipulating the boxes and retrieving the food, and their behaviour during the task. Our results showed that success in the novel task was mainly affected by the experimental contingencies and the behavioural strategies used during the task. Individuals were more successful in the 1-step conditions, if they participated in more trials, showed little latency to approach the boxes and mainly manipulated functional parts of the box. In contrast, we found no effect of inhibition, social facilitation and individual characteristics like sex, age, rank, centrality, neophobia and reaction to humans, on the individuals’ ability to innovate.
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Schuppli C, van Noordwijk M, Atmoko SU, van Schaik C. Early sociability fosters later exploratory tendency in wild immature orangutans. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaw2685. [PMID: 31934618 PMCID: PMC6949034 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw2685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Exploration is essential for skill acquisition and strongly facilitates cognitive performance. In humans, it is widely known that exploration and later cognitive performance are highly dependent on early social inputs. Here, we aim to shed light on the evolutionary roots of this process by studying the effects of variation in opportunities for social learning on the exploratory tendency of immature orangutans (Pongo spp.) in nature. We based our analyses on mixed cross-sectional, longitudinal data of exploration by immatures and their mothers. Current exploration rates were correlated with levels of past experienced sociability, but not with current food abundance or with maternal condition, and only partly with genetic similarity. We conclude that the dependence of cognitive development on socially triggered exploration, which underlies the construction of cognitive skills such as intelligence, existed before the emergence of the human lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schuppli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria van Noordwijk
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Suci Utami Atmoko
- Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Nasional, Jl. Sawo Manila, RT.14/RW.3, Ps. Minggu, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Carel van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
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Janmaat KRL. What animals do not do or fail to find: A novel observational approach for studying cognition in the wild. Evol Anthropol 2019; 28:303-320. [PMID: 31418959 PMCID: PMC6916178 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2017] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
To understand how our brain evolved and what it is for, we are in urgent need of knowledge about the cognitive skills of a large variety of animal species and individuals, and their relationships to rapidly disappearing social and ecological conditions. But how do we obtain this knowledge? Studying cognition in the wild is a challenge. Field researchers (and their study subjects) face many factors that can easily interfere with their variables of interest. Although field studies of cognition present unique challenges, they are still invaluable for understanding the evolutionary drivers of cognition. In this review, I discuss the advantages and urgency of field-based studies on animal cognition and introduce a novel observational approach for field research that is guided by three questions: (a) what do animals fail to find?, (b) what do they not do?, and (c) what do they only do when certain conditions are met? My goal is to provide guidance to future field researchers examining primate cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karline R. L. Janmaat
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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22
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Amici F, Widdig A, Lehmann J, Majolo B. A meta-analysis of interindividual differences in innovation. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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23
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Bandini E, Tennie C. Individual acquisition of “stick pounding” behavior by naïve chimpanzees. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e22987. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Bandini
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary EcologyThe University of TübingenTübingen Germany
| | - Claudio Tennie
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary EcologyThe University of TübingenTübingen Germany
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24
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Fredrika Forss SI, Motes-Rodrigo A, Tennie C. Animal Behavior: Ape Curiosity on Camera. Curr Biol 2019; 29:R255-R257. [PMID: 30939310 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
How animals respond to novel objects may reflect their overall cognitive and behavioral disposition. A study using camera traps reveals that different species of wild ape respond to novelty differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Ingrid Fredrika Forss
- Faculty of Science, Department for early prehistory and quaternary ecology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Alba Motes-Rodrigo
- Faculty of Science, Department for early prehistory and quaternary ecology, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claudio Tennie
- Faculty of Science, Department for early prehistory and quaternary ecology, University of Tübingen, Germany
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25
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Schubiger MN, Kissling A, Burkart JM. Does opportunistic testing bias cognitive performance in primates? Learning from drop-outs. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213727. [PMID: 30893340 PMCID: PMC6426242 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dropouts are a common issue in cognitive tests with non-human primates. One main reason for dropouts is that researchers often face a trade-off between obtaining a sufficiently large sample size and logistic restrictions, such as limited access to testing facilities. The commonly-used opportunistic testing approach deals with this trade-off by only testing those individuals who readily participate and complete the cognitive tasks within a given time frame. All other individuals are excluded from further testing and data analysis. However, it is unknown if this approach merely excludes subjects who are not consistently motivated to participate, or if these dropouts systematically differ in cognitive ability. If the latter holds, the selection bias resulting from opportunistic testing would systematically affect performance scores and thus comparisons between individuals and species. We assessed the potential effects of opportunistic testing on cognitive performance in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) with a test battery consisting of six cognitive tests: two inhibition tasks (Detour Reaching and A-not-B), one cognitive flexibility task (Reversal Learning), one quantity discrimination task, and two memory tasks. Importantly, we used a full testing approach in which subjects were given as much time as they required to complete each task. For each task, we then compared the performance of subjects who completed the task within the expected number of testing days with those subjects who needed more testing time. We found that the two groups did not differ in task performance, and therefore opportunistic testing would have been justified without risking biased results. If our findings generalise to other species, maximising sample sizes by only testing consistently motivated subjects will be a valid alternative whenever full testing is not feasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michèle N. Schubiger
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Cognition Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Social and Health Sciences, Division of Psychology, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Alexandra Kissling
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Cognition Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Judith M. Burkart
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Cognition Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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26
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van Schaik CP, Pradhan GR, Tennie C. Teaching and curiosity: sequential drivers of cumulative cultural evolution in the hominin lineage. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2610-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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27
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Forss SIF, Motes-Rodrigo A, Hrubesch C, Tennie C. Differences in novel food response between Pongo and Pan. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e22945. [PMID: 30604887 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of great ape diets requires behavioral flexibility. Consequently, the exploration of potentially novel food sources is supposedly beneficial, but simultaneously, apes show high neophobia to prevent harmful and poisonous food intake. Social information, such as presence of group members or observations of non-naïve, experienced individuals have been demonstrated to affect the acceptance of novel food items in primates. Sociality may have evolutionary effects on the response of apes to novel foods. Here we assess the social information hypothesis, which predicts that selection favors higher neophobia in species where social information is abundant. We report the results from 134 great apes housed in multiple facilities from four closely related species that naturally differ in their degree of sociality: Pongo pygmaeus, Pongo abelii, Pan troglodytes and Pan paniscus. We examined individuals' reactions to novel foods when alone, which enabled us to detect any inherent differences and revealed significant distinctions between species. Chimpanzees and bonobos, that are naturally exposed to higher amounts of social information, were less likely to consume novel foods alone (showed higher neophobia) than the two more solitary orangutan species. Chimpanzees were especially cautious and showed higher explorative behaviors before tasting novel food than other species. Age influenced neophobia as younger individuals of all species took longer to taste novel foods than adults did.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Ingrid Fredrika Forss
- Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Alba Motes-Rodrigo
- Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Claudio Tennie
- Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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28
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Jacobson SL, Freeman HD, Santymire RM, Ross SR. Atypical experiences of captive chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) are associated with higher hair cortisol concentrations as adults. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170932. [PMID: 29308234 PMCID: PMC5750001 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Experiences during early development are influential on the lives of human and non-human primates into adulthood. The population of captive chimpanzees in the USA can provide insight into this relationship, as collectively they have experienced a wide range of exposure to both conspecifics (those raised in natal groups) and humans (those raised as personal pets or performers). Our study investigated chimpanzee exposure to humans using a continuous measure of categorization, the chimpanzee-human interaction index, and the relationship between this experience and cortisol concentrations in adulthood. Historical records and hair samples were collected from 60 chimpanzees which were socially housed in 13 zoos and sanctuaries. We found that more human exposure throughout the life of a chimpanzee was associated with higher hair cortisol concentrations in adulthood. Sex was also a significant factor affecting cortisol concentration, with male chimpanzees having higher cortisol concentrations than female chimpanzees. These results build upon the extensive literature about aversive effects of atypical social histories for chimpanzees and emphasize to managers the importance of monitoring potential negative health consequences and social deficits these individuals may exhibit.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. L. Jacobson
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - H. D. Freeman
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - R. M. Santymire
- The Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - S. R. Ross
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA
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30
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Forss SIF, Koski SE, van Schaik CP. Explaining the Paradox of Neophobic Explorers: The Social Information Hypothesis. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9984-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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31
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Lamaury A, Cochet H, Bourjade M. Acquisition of joint attention by olive baboons gesturing toward humans. Anim Cogn 2017; 22:567-575. [PMID: 28695348 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1111-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Joint attention is a core ability of human social cognition which broadly refers to the coordination of attention with both the presence and activity of social partners. In both human and non-human primates, joint attention can be assessed from behaviour; gestures and gaze alternation between the partner and a distal object are standard behavioural manifestations of joint attention. Here we examined the acquisition of joint attention in olive baboons as a function of their individual experience of a human partner's attentional states during training regimes. Eleven olive baboons (Papio anubis) were observed during their training to perform food-requesting gestures, which occurred either by (1) a human facing them (face condition), or (2) by a human positioned in profile who never turned to them (profile condition). We found neither gestures nor gaze alternation were present at the start of the training but rather developed over the training period. Only baboons in the face condition showed an increase in the number of gaze alternations, and their gaze pattern progressively shifted to a coordinated sequence in which gazes and gestures were coordinated in time. In contrast, baboons trained by a human in profile showed significantly less coordination of gazes with gestures but still learned to request food with their gestures. These results suggest that the partner's social attention plays an important role in the acquisition of visual joint attention and, to a lesser extent, in gesture learning in baboons. Interspecific interactions appear to offer rich opportunities to manipulate and thus identify the social contexts in which socio-communicative skills develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augustine Lamaury
- UMR 5263 Cognition Langues Langage Ergonomie - Laboratoire Travail et Cognition (CLLE-LTC) Maison de la recherche C-616, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, 5 allées Antonio Machado, 31058, Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Hélène Cochet
- UMR 5263 Cognition Langues Langage Ergonomie - Laboratoire Travail et Cognition (CLLE-LTC) Maison de la recherche C-616, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, 5 allées Antonio Machado, 31058, Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Marie Bourjade
- UMR 5263 Cognition Langues Langage Ergonomie - Laboratoire Travail et Cognition (CLLE-LTC) Maison de la recherche C-616, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, 5 allées Antonio Machado, 31058, Toulouse Cedex, France.
- Station de Primatologie UPS 846, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Rousset, France.
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