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Great apes selectively retrieve relevant memories to guide action.
Katarzyna Bobrowicz1,2, Mikael Johansson3, Mathias Osvath4
1Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. katarzyna.a.bobrowicz@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|July 30, 2020
Summary
Great apes like chimpanzees and orangutans can overcome conflicting memories to select relevant information. This executive function demonstrates advanced mnemonic flexibility in animals, crucial for tool-use and innovation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Primatology
Background:
- Human memory flexibility relies on suppressing irrelevant memories, an executive function linked to the prefrontal cortex.
- It remains unclear if animals possess similar abilities to manage conflicting memory retrieval.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mnemonic flexibility and executive function in great apes.
- To determine if chimpanzees and orangutans can suppress irrelevant memories in favor of relevant ones.
Main Methods:
- Apes were presented with tool-use tasks designed to trigger conflicting memories.
- Performance was analyzed to assess the ability to overcome mnemonic conflict.
Main Results:
- Chimpanzees and an orangutan experienced mnemonic conflict during the tasks.
- The apes successfully overcame conflict, prioritizing relevant memories for action.
Conclusions:
- Great apes exhibit advanced mnemonic flexibility, a key executive function.
- This capability may underpin complex behaviors such as tool-use, innovation, and planning in animals.
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