Estimation of similarity between human liquids and nonhuman liquids: effects of reference point for comparison

The experiment investigated how varied was the perceived similarity among liquids (saliva, tears, blood, perspiration, urine, semen) which are referred to as a human's or as a chimpanzee's. The reference point for comparison varied. Analysis confirmed for 38 women who had a pet a higher perceived similarity when the human being was the reference point for comparison rather than the chimpanzee. The asymmetry of response was not observed in a survey of 120 French people or 60 French-Canadian students.