Object Permanence in Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and Children (Homo sapiens)

J Call*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

dJuvenile and adult orangutans (n = 5; Pongo pygmaeus), chimpanzees (n = 7; Pan troglodytes), and 19- and 26-month-old children (n = 24; Homo sapiens) received visible and invisible displacements. Three containers were presented forming a straight line, and a small box was used to displace a reward under them. Subjects received 3 types of displacement: single (the box visited I container), double adjacent (the box visited 2 contiguous containers), and double nonadjacent (the box visited 2 noncontiguous containers). All species performed at comparable levels, solving all problems except the invisible nonadjacent displacements. Visible displacements were easier than invisible, and single were easier than double displacements. In a 2nd experiment, subjects saw the baiting of either 2 adjacent or 2 nonadjacent containers with no displacements. All species selected the empty container more often when the baited containers were nonadjacent than when they were adjacent. It is hypothesized that a response bias and inhibition problem were responsible for the poor performance in nonadjacent displacements.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)159-171
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Comparative Psychology
Volume115
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2001

Keywords

  • LONG-TAILED MACAQUES
  • MONKEYS MACACA-MULATTA
  • DOGS CANIS-FAMILIARIS
  • CATS FELIS-CATUS
  • INVISIBLE DISPLACEMENT
  • SEARCH BEHAVIOR
  • FASCICULARIS
  • COGNITION
  • QUANTITY
  • CUES

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