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Great apes' risk-taking strategies in a decision making task
Daniel B M Haun1, Christian Nawroth, Josep Call
1Max Planck Research Group for Comparative Cognitive Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. haun@eva.mpg.de
Plos One
|January 5, 2012
Summary
Great apes exhibit risk-seeking decision-making, with varying preferences across species. Their choices align with expected value, but willingness to take risks differs between orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos.
Area of Science:
- Comparative psychology
- Primate behavior
- Decision-making science
Background:
- Understanding non-human great ape cognition is crucial for evolutionary insights.
- Decision-making processes, particularly risk assessment, are key areas of study in animal behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare decision-making behavior, specifically risk preferences, across all four non-human great ape species.
- To determine if ape choices align with expected value theory and how risk-taking varies among species.
Main Methods:
- Presenting apes with choices between a safe option and a risky option.
- Systematically varying the expected values and probabilities of success for the risky options.
- Observing and recording the choices made by orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos.
Main Results:
- All four great ape species demonstrated risk-seeking behavior.
- Choice of the safe option increased across all species as the probability of success decreased.
- Orangutans and chimpanzees were more inclined to choose the risky option compared to gorillas and bonobos.
Conclusions:
- Great ape decision-making is influenced by expected value, with predictable variations in risk tolerance.
- Species-specific differences in risk-seeking behavior were observed among orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos.
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