Chimpanzee Studies - Articles - Zimbio

Monkey Monday: First impressions count. Ask any chimp…

Sun, 31 Mar 2008 12:25:37 GMT

posted by craigprice

Think first impressions are important? So do chimps. They’re more judgmental than creationists! From Science Daily:

Chimpanzees make judgments about the actions and dispositions of strangers by observing others’ behavior and interactions in different situations. Specifically, chimpanzees show an ability to recognize certain behavioral traits and make assumptions about the presence or absence of these traits in strangers in similar situations thereafter. These findings are by Dr. Francys Subiaul - from the George Washington University in Washington DC - and his team.

Character judgments are an essential feature of cooperative exchanges between humans, and we use them to predict future behavioral interactions. A system for attributing reputation is therefore expected in any species which needs to assess the behavior of others and to predict the outcomes of future interactions. Chimpanzees have sophisticated social skills and there is evidence that primates eavesdrop and benefit from third-party interactions. Could they have a system for forming reputation judgments across a wide variety of contexts like humans?

Sounds like they are getting their own covert operations teams up and running! Does CIA stand for Chimp Intelligence Agency? If we don’t keep an eye on them it might.

In a series of three experiments, Dr. Subiaul and colleagues looked at whether chimpanzees learn the reputation of strangers indirectly by observation, or by first-hand experience. Seven chimpanzees observed unfamiliar humans either consistently give (’generous’ donor) or refuse to give (’selfish’ donor) food to either a familiar human recipient or another chimp.

In the first experiment, after observing humans either give or refuse food to familiar humans, chimps were in turn given the opportunity to gesture to either the ’selfish’ or the ‘generous’ human. There was no marked preference for either donor. However, in a second experiment, the researchers evaluated whether prolonged observation and first-hand experience would allow chimps to generalize this social rule—pertaining to the reputation of strangers—to new humans. In this experiment, the chimpanzees showed a strong preference for the new generous donor.

They were able to predict which new donor was generous, based entirely on observation. In a third experiment, chimpanzees (rather than humans) were the recipients of either ’selfish’ or ‘generous’ acts. The results of this last experiment replicated the results of the second experiment in a new context and using novel ‘generous’ and ’selfish’ acts, demonstrated that chimpanzees are flexible and astute social problem-solvers, capable of attributing reputation to strangers by eavesdropping on interactions between others.

The authors conclude that their results demonstrate chimpanzees’ ability “to infer stability in an individual’s character or behavior over time through observation – an inference that underlies the ability to make reputation judgments…This ability may have served as a catalyst to the evolution of various uniquely human traits such as shared intentionality, language and reasoning.”

Assumptions and snap judgments exist for a reason. It’s used to protect us as well as advance our current situation. Sure we may be wrong with our initial assessments, but the initial decision we made was for our best interest. And apparently evolution had a hand in our ability to be pretty darn good at it.

So the next time you see a chimp and you think that it’s sizing you up, it probably is.

You better behave yourself around monkeys!

Happy Smarter than a Monkey Day!

Tue, 19 Dec 2007 19:24:00 GMT

posted by slag

Gye Greene once compared the cognitive development of his kid to that of their Corgi dog. This struck me as a more useful tool than a calendar for measuring someone's age. That is, instead of wishing someone a happy birthday on a specific (fairly meaningless) date, it seems to me that we should do so when we notice a particular improvement in their intellectual capabilities. And when someone asks us how old we are, we simply respond with something to the effect of, "I'm smarter than a dog but not quite as smart as a monkey." But because figuring out a larger structure for this kind of measurement required much more knowledge of animal behavior and cognition than I currently have (eg, when are we smarter than a whale?), I opted for this simplified version: smarter than a monkey. And for further simplicity's sake, when I say "monkey," I am referring to all types of non-human primates that we generally think of as being monkey-like (not perfect, but better than meaningless). Happily, monkey smarts appear to be a good point of comparison.

Recently from MSNBC:

Japanese researchers pitted young chimps against human adults in two tests of short-term memory, and overall, the chimps won.

That challenges the belief of many people, including many scientists, that "humans are superior to chimpanzees in all cognitive functions," said researcher Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto University.

"No one can imagine that chimpanzees — young chimpanzees at the age of 5 — have a better performance in a memory task than humans," he said in a statement.

Also, from MSNBC:

Rhesus macaque monkeys performed nearly as well as college students at quick mental addition, researchers reported Monday, adding to the evidence that non-verbal math skills are not unique to humans.
...
The researchers said the findings shed light on the shared mathematical abilities in humans and non-human primates and shows the importance of language — which allows for counting and more advanced calculations — in the evolution of math in humans.

"I don't think language is the only thing that differentiates humans from non-human primates, but in terms of math tasks, it is probably the big one," she said.

So, maybe when we notice that GW actually starts to understand and use language appropriately, we can wish him a Happy Birthday? Or a:
We can dream.

SPACE CHIMPS Save the Day!

Tue, 16 Jul 2008 02:23:00 GMT

posted by danielted
from marketwatch

Starz Animation and Vanguard Animation's SPACE CHIMPS Partner With Animal Planet's ESCAPE TO CHIMP EDEN for Campaign Aimed at Rescuing Endangered Chimpanzees

LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK, Jul 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Space Chimps, a new animated family film opening July 18 from Vanguard Animation and Starz Animation, about a trio of primates sent to deep space on a heroic mission, has a new assignment closer to home: rescue the chimps! Space Chimps is partnering with Animal Planet to raise money to help rescue and rehabilitate chimpanzees. Proceeds from the effort will benefit Chimp Eden, a South African sanctuary for rescued chimps. Chimp Eden, managed by Eugene Cussons, rescue director of the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa, is featured in Animal Planet's popular series Escape to Chimp Eden. Cussons travels throughout Africa to rescue abused and neglected chimps and bring them to a safe haven at Chimp Eden where the chimps can experience lives as close as possible to how they'd live in the wild. The public can support this endeavor by personally adopting a chimp via www.spacechimpspower.com, as well as via www.animalplanet.com/spacechimps. To kick off the fund-raising effort, Starz Animation, the feature animation division of Starz Media, and will donate $10,000. "When we were looking into cause-related partnerships for Space Chimps, we immediately thought of Animal Planet's Escape to Chimp Eden," says Amorette Jones, EVP Worldwide Marketing for Starz. "Besides it being an easy fit for the movie, the work Eugene is doing with these chimpanzees is extraordinary. We're thrilled to raise money and awareness for this very worthy and rewarding cause." "We are fortunate and grateful that Animal Planet has the opportunity to partner with Starz Media on this animated film in bringing the plight of chimpanzees to the forefront," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. "It's heartwarming and vital that efforts are being made to save chimps throughout the world and give them the sanctuary and hope that they can find at Chimp Eden." About Escape to Chimp Eden In South Africa, there's a sanctuary for chimpanzees rescued from the horrors of human captivity - physical abuse, malnutrition, abandonment and drug and alcohol abuse. Now, for the first time ever, these chimps find a community and sanctuary at the hands of conservationist Eugene Cussons, South African rescue director at the Jane Goodall Institute's Chimpanzee Eden. Here, the chimps finally experience safety, nurturing and a loving environment - all necessary conditions for them to become healthy, rehabilitated primates poised for the return to the wild. About Space Chimps In Space Chimps, blasting off in theaters everywhere July 18, a $5 billion space agency probe disappears into an intergalactic wormhole. The space agency recruits Ham III, grandson of the first chimpanzee in space, to help retrieve the wayward craft. But Ham is a free-spirited circus performer more interested in zero gravity high jinks than living up to his illustrious heritage. The simian slacker becomes a reluctant hero and learns the true meaning of courage as he and his crewmates, the plucky Lieutenant Luna and their by-the-book commander, Titan, risk everything in an effort to save the peaceful inhabitants of a distant planet from an evil dictator. Space Chimps features the voices of Andy Samberg ("Saturday Night Live"), Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Patrick Warburton ("Rules of Engagement"), Kristin Chenoweth ("The West Wing"), Stanley Tucci (Robots), Kenan Thompson (Snakes on a Plane), Jane Lynch (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Carlos Alazraqui (Happy Feet), Zach Shada (Ice Age: The Meltdown), Patrick Breen ("Boston Legal"), Kath Soucie ("The Replacements") and Omid Abtahi ("Sleeper Cell"). A Vanguard Animation film, Space Chimps is presented by Starz Animation. It will be distributed by Twentieth Century Fox in North America and by Odyssey Entertainment internationally. About Starz Media: Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media ( www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group. About Animal Planet: Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 93 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions. About Fox Filmed Entertainment One of the world's largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Atomic, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation. SOURCE: Fox Filmed Entertainment

Are you smarter than a Chimp?

Sat, 17 Aug 2008 13:41:00 GMT

posted by thebigklosowski
I talk a lot about technology in our daily lives, and I think that as humans we're pretty smart. With our smartphones and extensive schooling since birth, we live a pretty charmed existence.

But you have to ask yourself if you are smarter than a chimp?

Watch the video and find out.

How did you do?

Huggy cuddly chimps: The silent killers!

Tue, 18 Jun 2008 14:45:34 GMT

posted by punkeys

Wow. The punkey propaganda machine is revving on all cylinders with this news from Science Daily:

Compared to their sex-mad, peace-loving bonobo counterparts, chimpanzees are often seen as a scheming, war-mongering, and selfish species. (They are!!) As both apes are allegedly our closest relatives, together they are often depicted as representing the two extremes of human behaviour.

Orlaith Fraser, who will receive her PhD from LJMU’s School of Biological Sciences in July 2008, has conducted research that shows chimpanzee behavior is not as clear cut as previously thought. Her study is the first one to demonstrate the effects of consolation amongst chimpanzees.

In her recently published article, Fraser analyses how the apes behave after a fight. Working with Dr Daniel Stahl of Kings College London and Filippo Aureli, LJMU’s Professor of Animal Behaviour, she found that third-party chimpanzees will try to console the ‘victim’ of the fight by grooming, hugging and kissing.

Although this behavior has been witnessed in chimpanzees since the 1970s, anthropologists previously believed that the motivation behind it was purely selfish - with the consoling chimp wanting to pre-empt further violence.

See…even scientist presume ulterior motives when it comes to chimps! Cheeky monkeys!

However, the study challenges this assumption. ”If that was the case then there shouldn’t be a calming effect from the consolation, rather, just a reduction of aggression,” said co-author Professor Aureli, ”I think it’s much more likely that it is done for the benefit of the others rather than the third party.”

Fraser, who successfully defended her PhD on conflict management in chimpanzees, said: ”Unlike previous studies, this research demonstrates the link between consolation and stress reduction, showing the potential for empathy in chimpanzees as opposed to their more renowned aggressive behavior.”

Apes are the only primates to show consolation, and it has been speculated that this behavior is perhaps equivalent to what in human children is called ’sympathetic concern’. One of the world’s leading primatologists, Professor Frans de Waal, of Emory University in Atlanta, USA, said: ”The behavior of young children that falls under sympathetic concern (touching, hugging of distressed family members) is in fact identical to that of apes, and so the comparison is not far-fetched. The present study is significant in that it suggests that the function of this behavior in chimpanzees is similar to humans, in that it comforts the other.”

The allegedly telltale signs of nervousness in humans include scratching ourselves or hand-to-face movements. Similarly, when our simian cousins find themselves in stressful situations they often resort to self-grooming and self-scratching. Fraser and Professor Aureli found that after a fight, these actions occurred with increasing frequency, but when the non-aggressive chimp entered the fray, the agitated ape soon stopped their nervous movements.

Interestingly, the study also found that apes with mutually beneficial relationships will try to calm each other down. Professor Aureli explained: ”It’s what we call a valuable relationship - basically those animals that are good friends, not just individuals that spend a lot of time together or groom one another, but ones that actually have some value to one another. For example, they help one another in fights, tolerate one another around limited resources, share food, and collaborate.”

One of the most controversial and divisive issues in anthropology today is whether or not animals can empathize. Fraser said that as well as altruistic behavior, our closest evolutionary ancestors could potentially have an empathetic side. She said: ”Showing the calming effect of consolation is one of the building blocks from which we can learn more about the emphatic abilities of animals.”

Professor de Waal added that this study removes any previous doubt that consolation provides relief to distressed parties after conflict: ”The evidence is compelling and makes it likely that consolation behaviour is indeed an expression of empathy.”

Just remember, when you hug, it’s easier to stab someone in the back. Don’t believe the punkey PR!