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Eye preferences in captive chimpanzees.

Stephanie N Braccini1, Susan P Lambeth, Steven J Schapiro

  • 1Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK. braccini@stlzoo.org

Animal Cognition
|June 27, 2012
PubMed
Summary

This study found chimpanzees show eye preference differences based on stimuli, with a left-eye bias for snakes and right-eye bias for bananas. These findings suggest emotional valence may influence lateralized behaviors in great apes.

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Area of Science:

  • Primate ethology
  • Neuroscience
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Brain lateralization is a well-studied topic in primates.
  • Previous research has not documented eye preference in great apes.
  • Understanding lateralization in apes offers insights into primate cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate eye preference in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
  • To determine if stimulus type influences eye preference.
  • To explore potential links between emotional valence and lateralized behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed eye preference in 45 captive chimpanzees.
  • Presented various stimuli including objects, food, and images.
  • Recorded eye preference when viewing stimuli through a restricted aperture.

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Main Results:

  • Stimulus type significantly affected the direction, number, and duration of eye preference.
  • A left-eye bias was observed for viewing a rubber snake.
  • A right-eye bias was observed for viewing bananas, suggesting emotional valence influences behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Chimpanzee eye preference varies with stimulus type and emotional valence.
  • Lateralization differences in emotional processing may exist between humans and apes.
  • No correlation was found between eye and hand preference in this study.