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Updated: Jun 4, 2026
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Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems
Published on: May 5, 2015
The evolution of primate general and cultural intelligence
Simon M Reader1, Yfke Hager, Kevin N Laland
1Department of Biology and Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.m.reader@uu.nl
Summary
Primate cognitive abilities like innovation, social learning, and tool use are interconnected, suggesting a general intelligence factor (g) in primates. This "primate g(S)" coevolved with brain size and learning, challenging modularity theories.
Area of Science:
- Primate cognition
- Evolutionary psychology
- Comparative cognition
Background:
- Human intelligence is linked to a general intelligence factor (g).
- Primate cognition theories conflict: specialized modules vs. a general process.
- The evolutionary basis of primate general intelligence and its relation to culture is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between various cognitive traits in primates.
- To determine if primate cognitive abilities coevolve.
- To assess the evidence for a general intelligence factor across primate species.
Main Methods:
- Compiled data on behavioral innovation, social learning, tool use, extractive foraging, and tactical deception in 62 primate species.
- Utilized principal component and factor analyses to identify correlations between cognitive traits.
- Statistically controlled for potential confounding variables.
Main Results:
- Cognitive traits showed strong positive associations, forming a composite measure of 'primate g(S)'.
- Primate g(S) correlated with brain volume and captive learning performance.
- Evidence suggests coevolution of social, technical, and ecological abilities in primates.
Conclusions:
- Primate cognitive abilities are not independent and do not exclusively support massive modularity or a purely social intelligence model.
- A general intelligence factor, including cultural intelligence elements, appears to exist across primate species.
- High general intelligence has evolved independently at least four times in primates through convergent evolution.
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