Related Experiment Videos
Apes perform like infants in false-belief tasks.
1Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. thomas.bugnyar@univie.ac.at.
Learning & Behavior
|April 9, 2017
Summary
Great apes demonstrate an understanding of false beliefs, a cognitive ability previously thought to be beyond their capabilities. This finding challenges existing theories on animal cognition and theory of mind.
Area of Science:
- Comparative psychology
- Primatology
- Cognitive ethology
Background:
- Understanding mental states in nonhuman animals is a complex and debated topic.
- Attributing false beliefs to animals has been considered a significant cognitive limitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether great apes can pass a false-belief task.
- To explore the limits of cognitive abilities in nonhuman primates.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an anticipatory-looking paradigm, originally developed for nonverbal human infants.
- Tested great apes on their ability to attribute false beliefs in a controlled experimental setting.
Main Results:
- Great apes successfully passed the false-belief task.
- Evidence suggests that great apes possess a more sophisticated understanding of others' mental states than previously assumed.
Conclusions:
- Great apes exhibit a capacity for understanding false beliefs.
- This study expands our understanding of primate cognition and theory of mind, challenging prior limitations.