Interactional synchrony in chimpanzees: Examination through a finger-tapping experiment

Area of Science:

• Primatology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Social Behavior

Background:

• Interpersonal coordination, including mimicry and interactional synchrony, is crucial for human social interaction.
• Socially adaptive coordinative behaviors may be shared with other highly social species.
• Chimpanzees, as humans' closest living relatives, offer a unique model for studying the evolution of social behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if interactional synchrony emerges in pairs of chimpanzees.
• To investigate the role of auditory information in facilitating synchronous behavior.
• To assess the applicability of a finger-tapping task for studying synchrony in non-human primates.

Main Methods:

• A finger-tapping task using touch panels was employed to elicit rhythmic movements in chimpanzees.
• Auditory feedback about a partner's tapping tempo and timing was provided.
• Behavioral data on tapping tempo and timing were analyzed for synchrony.

Main Results:

• One out of four chimpanzees demonstrated significant changes in tapping tempo and timing relative to its partner.
• The observed synchrony occurred when auditory information about the partner's movement was available.
• Results indicate potential for interactional synchrony in chimpanzees under specific experimental conditions.

Conclusions:

• A finger-tapping task with auditory feedback is a potential method for studying interactional synchrony in chimpanzees.
• The findings suggest that some forms of social coordination may be conserved in primate species.
• Further research is needed to generalize these findings across the chimpanzee population.