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Symbolic communication between two chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 18, 1978
Summary
Chimpanzees used learned symbols to name foods, enabling communication when only one partner knew the item. This led to spontaneous requests and cooperative food sharing through symbolic exchange.
Area of Science:
- Primate cognition
- Animal communication
- Symbolic behavior
Background:
- Understanding the development of symbolic communication in non-human primates is crucial for insights into cognitive evolution.
- Previous research has explored primate vocalizations and gestural communication, but the capacity for symbolic representation remains a key area of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether chimpanzees can use learned symbols to refer to specific food items for inter-individual communication.
- To determine if symbolic communication facilitates cooperative food exchange in chimpanzees.
Main Methods:
- Two chimpanzees were trained to use learned symbols to represent specific food items.
- A communication task was designed where only one chimpanzee knew the identity of a food item, requiring symbolic reference.
- The study observed spontaneous food requests and subsequent exchanges mediated by symbols.
Main Results:
- Chimpanzees accurately identified 11 foods by name using learned symbols when one individual had the information.
- Performance significantly decreased when the use of symbols was denied, highlighting their necessity for this task.
- Chimpanzees spontaneously initiated requests for specific foods using symbols, leading to successful, cooperative exchanges.
Conclusions:
- Learned symbols are essential for chimpanzees to convey specific information about external referents to conspecifics.
- Symbolic communication in chimpanzees can mediate complex social interactions, including cooperative food acquisition and reciprocal exchange.