LIQUID CONSERVATION IN ORANGUTANS (PONGO-PYGMAEUS) AND HUMANS (HOMO-SAPIENS) - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES AND PERCEPTUAL STRATEGIES

Authors
Citation
J. Call et P. Rochat, LIQUID CONSERVATION IN ORANGUTANS (PONGO-PYGMAEUS) AND HUMANS (HOMO-SAPIENS) - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES AND PERCEPTUAL STRATEGIES, Journal of comparative psychology, 110(3), 1996, pp. 219-232
Citations number
16
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology,Psychology,"Behavioral Sciences
ISSN journal
07357036
Volume
110
Issue
3
Year of publication
1996
Pages
219 - 232
Database
ISI
SICI code
0735-7036(1996)110:3<219:LCIO(A>2.0.ZU;2-Z
Abstract
Four orangutans (1 juvenile, 2 subadults, and 1 adult) and ten 6-8-yea r-old children were tested in 4 liquid conservation tasks of increasin g levels of difficulty. Task difficulty depended on the type of transf ormation (continuous vs. discontinuous quantities) and the relative co ntrast between the shapes of the containers. Results indicate that ora ngutans did not display conservation in the strict sense; instead they showed ''partial'' conservation (intermediate reactions according to J. Piaget & B. Inhelder, 1941). In contrast, some of the children prov ided evidence of conservation in all 4 tasks, showing ''true'' or logi cally necessary conservation in the original sense proposed by J. Piag et and B. Inhelder (1941). Although orangutans did not show conservati on in the strict sense, as J. Piaget (1955) and others have generally agreed it should be defined, orangutans behaved as individual and crea tive problem solvers, adopting different perceptual strategies dependi ng on the task.