Gc. Westergaard et Sj. Suomi, MODIFICATION OF CLAY FORMS BY TUFTED CAPUCHINS (CEBUS-APELLA), International journal of primatology, 18(3), 1997, pp. 455-467
We examined modification of clay forms by tufted capuchins (Cebus apel
la) by presenting groups of subjects with clay, paint, stones, leaves,
and sticks. In Experiment 1, 7 of 10 subjects reshaped portable forms
with their hands and with stones, and decorated them with leaves and
paint. In Experiment 2, 9 subjects marked clay slabs manually and with
stick and stone tools. The manipulative propensities of Cebus can hel
p us to understand psychological processes that underlie artistic expr
ession in Homo and Pan.