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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
09:12

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Published on: March 17, 2019

Chimpanzees use self-distraction to cope with impulsivity.

Theodore A Evans1, Michael J Beran

  • 1Language Research Center, Georgia State University, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA. theodore.evans@gmail.com

Biology Letters
|August 25, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Chimpanzees use self-distraction to manage impulsivity. When faced with tempting rewards, they engage with toys to delay gratification and achieve larger payoffs, demonstrating a sophisticated coping mechanism.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Behavior
  • Cognitive Science
  • Primatology

Background:

  • Impulsivity is a common challenge in decision-making.
  • The potential for behavioral coping strategies in animals, particularly self-distraction, remains largely unexplored.
  • Understanding animal self-control offers insights into the evolution of cognitive abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) utilize self-distraction as a behavioral strategy to cope with impulsivity.
  • To determine if chimpanzees can inhibit immediate gratification for larger future rewards.
  • To examine the conditions under which self-distraction is employed by chimpanzees.

Main Methods:

  • Chimpanzees were presented with a task involving accumulating rewards (candies) requiring response inhibition.
  • Three experimental conditions were employed, varying toy availability and physical access to rewards.
  • Behavioral observations focused on response latency and toy manipulation frequency.

Main Results:

  • Chimpanzees delayed their response to accumulating rewards when toys were available for distraction.
  • Toy manipulation increased when physical access to the tempting candies was permitted.
  • The use of self-distraction correlated with the potential for greater reward accumulation.

Conclusions:

  • Chimpanzees demonstrate the capacity for self-distraction as a coping mechanism for impulsivity.
  • This behavioral strategy is employed adaptively when it facilitates achieving larger rewards.
  • Findings suggest complex self-regulatory abilities in chimpanzees, potentially offering evolutionary insights.