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Conceptual metaphorical mapping in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Christoph D Dahl1, Ikuma Adachi
1Section of Language and Intelligence , Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University , Inuyama , Japan ; Department of Psychology , National Taiwan University , Taipei , Taiwan.
Elife
|October 24, 2013
Summary
Chimpanzees mentally represent social rank spatially, similar to humans. They process information about dominant individuals faster when positioned higher, suggesting an ancient cognitive link between social hierarchy and vertical space.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Primatology
- Evolutionary Psychology
Background:
- Conceptual metaphors, like social rank as a vertical structure, are key to human cognition.
- Understanding the evolutionary origins of such cognitive biases is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether chimpanzees exhibit a conceptual metaphor mapping social rank to vertical space.
- To explore the evolutionary roots of spatial representations of dominance hierarchies.
Main Methods:
- Chimpanzee participants performed a face identity discrimination task.
- Stimuli were presented in a vertical arrangement, varying individual rank and display position.
Main Results:
- Response latencies were modulated by the interaction between individual rank and display position.
- Quicker discrimination occurred when high-ranked individuals were in higher positions and low-ranked individuals in lower positions.
Conclusions:
- Chimpanzees demonstrate a spatial representation of dominance hierarchies, mirroring human conceptual metaphors.
- This suggests a shared, ancient cognitive tendency in the human-chimpanzee common ancestor to map abstract social dimensions onto spatial representations.
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