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Chimpanzees behave prosocially in a group-specific manner
Edwin J C van Leeuwen1,2,3,4, Sarah E DeTroy4,5, Stephan P Kaufhold6
1University of St Andrews, Westburn Lane, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland. ejcvanleeuwen@gmail.com.
Science Advances
|February 25, 2021
Summary
Chimpanzees exhibit prosocial behavior by sharing valuable resources at personal cost. This altruistic tendency varies significantly between different chimpanzee communities, indicating group-specific sociality.
Area of Science:
- Primate behavior
- Evolutionary anthropology
- Social cognition
Background:
- Chimpanzees display cooperative behaviors in their natural habitats.
- The extent to which they provide benefits to others and if this varies across communities remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether chimpanzees engage in prosocial behavior by providing valuable resources to group members.
- To determine if the level of prosocial behavior differs among chimpanzee communities.
Main Methods:
- A resource-donation experiment was conducted with chimpanzees, allowing for free partner choice.
- Chimpanzees' prosocial acts were observed under conditions where group members could profit (test) versus when resources were inaccessible (control).
Main Results:
- Chimpanzees increased prosocial acts over the study period.
- Prosocial behavior was more frequent and sustained when recipients could profit.
- A significant group-specific variation in prosocial behavior was observed, correlating with social tolerance.
Conclusions:
- Chimpanzees intentionally engage in prosocial behavior towards group members.
- Group-specific sociality is a crucial factor in understanding the evolution of prosociality in nonhuman animals.
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