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Sequential tool use in great apes.

Gema Martin-Ordas1, Lena Schumacher, Josep Call

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. ordas@psy.au.dk

Plos One
|January 10, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Great apes demonstrate sophisticated sequential tool use, spontaneously employing multiple tools to solve problems. Their tool selectivity increases as the effort required to obtain tools rises, highlighting cognitive flexibility in primates.

Area of Science:

  • Comparative psychology
  • Animal cognition
  • Primate behavior

Background:

  • Sequential tool use, defined as using a tool to acquire another object that then serves as a tool, has been observed in birds and great apes.
  • Previous studies often involved training and low retrieval costs, limiting conclusions about spontaneous behavior and selectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To replicate and extend previous research on sequential tool use in great apes (chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos).
  • To investigate the impact of increased tool retrieval costs on tool selectivity in apes.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1: Apes were presented with an out-of-reach reward and various tools of differing lengths and functionalities, with low retrieval costs.
  • Experiment 2: The cost of retrieving the longest tool was increased to assess selectivity under higher effort conditions.

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Main Results:

  • Apes spontaneously used up to 3 tools in sequence to reach a reward, mirroring findings in New Caledonian crows.
  • Apes initially showed a preference for the longest tool regardless of food distance.
  • With increased retrieval costs in Experiment 2, apes used up to 5 tools and became more selective in choosing the longest tool.

Conclusions:

  • Great apes exhibit spontaneous sequential tool use comparable to that of birds.
  • Ape tool selectivity is influenced by the cost associated with tool retrieval, demonstrating adaptive cognitive strategies.