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Chimpanzee minds: suspiciously human?

Daniel J. Povinelli¹, Jennifer Vonk

¹Cognitive Evolution Group University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 4401 W. Admiral Doyle Drive, 70560, New Iberia, Louisiana, USA

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

|April 15, 2003

Summary

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Chimpanzees recognize behavioral patterns but may not possess a

Area of Science:

Primate cognition
Comparative psychology
Animal behavior

Background:

Chimpanzees demonstrate understanding of behavioral statistical regularities.
The extent to which they attribute mental states (theory of mind) remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the evidence for chimpanzee theory of mind.
To propose alternative frameworks for understanding chimpanzee cognition.

Main Methods:

Review of existing anecdotal and experimental data.
Conceptual analysis of explanatory frameworks.

Main Results:

Current assumptions of chimpanzee theory of mind offer no additional explanatory power.
Existing experimental paradigms may be insufficient to test for mental state attribution.

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Conclusions:

The concept of 'theory of mind' in chimpanzees may be an unnecessary assumption.
A paradigm shift is needed to advance research beyond current limitations.