Imitation of intentional manipulatory actions in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

In this study, the authors investigated the understanding of other's action s in 5 adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). A human demonstrated an attempt to open different containers. Each container required a different motor pa ttern to open it. Along with the container, a 2nd object was made available . After a free play period in which the chimpanzees' natural behaviors towa rd the objects were recorded, the authors tested the following 2 phases: Th e demonstrator (a) tried but failed to open and (b) opened the container su ccessfully, with 1 of 2 alternative strategies either using an "irrelevant tool" or by hand. The chimpanzees did not reproduce the demonstrator's moto r patterns precisely but did reproduce the demonstrated strategies in both phases. These results suggest that chimpanzees anticipate the intentions of others by perceiving the directionality and causality of abject(s) as avai lable cues.