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Updated: Jan 12, 2026
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Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems
Published on: May 5, 2015
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Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs.
Hanna Schleihauf1,2, Emily M Sanford3, Bill D Thompson3
1Department for Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 30, 2025
Summary
Chimpanzees update beliefs based on new evidence, similar to humans. They revise initial beliefs only when new information is stronger, suggesting rational decision-making in primates.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Primatology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Rational belief revision is a key human cognitive ability.
- Empirical tests of belief updating in non-human species are scarce.
- Understanding belief revision in primates offers insights into cognitive evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate belief revision in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
- To determine if chimpanzees update initial beliefs in response to conflicting evidence.
- To assess if chimpanzee belief revision aligns with formal models of rationality.
Main Methods:
- Chimpanzees were presented with an initial belief about reward location.
- Conflicting evidence of varying strengths was introduced.
- Chimpanzee responses to counterevidence were recorded and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Chimpanzees maintained initial beliefs when counterevidence was weak.
- Chimpanzees revised initial beliefs when counterevidence was strong.
- Behavioral patterns matched predictions of rational belief revision models.
Conclusions:
- Chimpanzee belief revision is sensitive to the strength of evidence.
- Evidence suggests chimpanzees explicitly represent and weigh information.
- Findings indicate metacognitive evaluation of evidence in chimpanzees.
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