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Primates do not spontaneously use shape properties for object individuation: a competence or a performance problem?

Natacha Mendes1, Hannes Rakoczy, Josep Call

  • 1Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-Von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany. natacha.mendes@med.ovgu.de

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This summary is machine-generated.

Great apes can individuate food by color, but need experience to use shape. This suggests a performance, not competence, issue in how apes process food shapes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive ethology
  • Comparative psychology
  • Primate cognition

Background:

  • Non-human primates individuate objects using property and kind information, similar to human infants.
  • Previous studies suggest primates may struggle with shape properties for food individuation, unlike color.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if great apes have a competence or performance limitation in using shape for food individuation.
  • To determine if experience influences shape-based object individuation in primates.

Main Methods:

  • Tested 25 great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas) in two food individuation tasks.
  • Manipulated subjects' prior experience with color and shape differences in food items.

Main Results:

  • All apes successfully individuated food by color, irrespective of prior experience.
  • Only apes with prior experience with shape differences succeeded in shape-based individuation.

Conclusions:

  • Great apes' ability to individuate food by shape is influenced by experience, indicating a performance limitation.
  • Primates possess the capacity for shape-based food individuation, which can be enhanced through training and exposure.