USE OF SOCIAL INFORMATION IN THE PROBLEM-SOLVING OF ORANGUTANS (PONGO-PYGMAEUS) AND HUMAN CHILDREN (HOMO-SAPIENS)

Citation
J. Call et M. Tomasello, USE OF SOCIAL INFORMATION IN THE PROBLEM-SOLVING OF ORANGUTANS (PONGO-PYGMAEUS) AND HUMAN CHILDREN (HOMO-SAPIENS), Journal of comparative psychology, 109(3), 1995, pp. 308-320
Citations number
30
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology,"Behavioral Sciences",Psychology,"Behavioral Sciences
ISSN journal
07357036
Volume
109
Issue
3
Year of publication
1995
Pages
308 - 320
Database
ISI
SICI code
0735-7036(1995)109:3<308:UOSIIT>2.0.ZU;2-V
Abstract
Fourteen juvenile and adult orangutans and 24 3- and 4-year-old childr en participated in 4 studies on imitative learning in a problem-solvin g situation. In all studies a simple to operate apparatus was used, bu t its internal mechanism was hidden from subjects to prevent individua l learning. In the 1st study, orangutans observed a human demonstrator perform 1 of 4 actions on the apparatus and obtain a reward; they sub sequently showed no signs of imitative learning. Similar results were obtained in a 2nd study in which orangutan demonstrators were used. Si milar results were also obtained in a 3rd study in which a human encou raged imitation from an orangutan that had previously been taught to m imic arbitrary human actions. In a 4th study, human 3- and 4-year-old children learned the task by means of imitation.