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Distinct developmental trajectories for risky and impulsive decision-making in chimpanzees
Alexandra G Rosati1, Melissa Emery Thompson2, Rebeca Atencia3
1Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|January 23, 2023
Summary
Adolescent chimpanzees, like humans, show increased risk-seeking behavior. However, unlike humans, they do not exhibit developmental changes in intertemporal choice, suggesting some, but not all, adolescent decision-making traits are shared with primates.
Area of Science:
- Comparative Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Primatology
Background:
- Human adolescence involves significant changes in decision-making and emotional regulation, often leading to increased risk-taking and impulsivity.
- Evidence suggests some adolescent behavioral and physiological shifts are shared across primate species, but the underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental changes in risky choice, intertemporal choice, and emotional responses to decision outcomes in chimpanzees.
- To compare cognitive and emotional development in chimpanzees with that of human adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Assessed risky choice and intertemporal choice behaviors in chimpanzees of different age groups.
- Measured emotional reactivity to decision outcomes and analyzed hormonal biomarkers (cortisol, testosterone).
Main Results:
- Adolescent chimpanzees were more risk-seeking than adults, mirroring human adolescent patterns.
- Chimpanzees did not display developmental changes in intertemporal choice, contrasting with human development.
- Younger chimpanzees showed heightened emotional reactivity to waiting compared to adults, alongside age-related hormonal variations.
Conclusions:
- Some core features of human adolescent decision-making, such as increased risk-seeking, are conserved in chimpanzees.
- Key differences exist, particularly in intertemporal choice and the dissociation between risk-taking and impulsivity, indicating not all human adolescent traits are shared.
- Hormonal variations and individual differences support a developmental dissociation between risk and choice impulsivity in chimpanzees.
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