The effect of situational factors on hand preferences for feeding in 177 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
This study examined the effect of situational factors on hand use for feeding in a sample of captive chimpanzees. Lateral bias in hand use was tested in biased and unbiased testing circumstances to assess strength and consistency in hand preference. For both unbiased and biased testing conditions, population-level right hand preferences were found for the sample. In the biased condition, subjects were more likely to overcome positional factors in order to feed with their right hand contrasted with the left. Overall, hand use in the biased and unbiased testing conditions was significantly positively correlated. In terms of strength of hand use, juveniles were found to be less lateralized than sub-adults and adults. Moreover, juvenile females were found to be more lateralized than juvenile males. Taken together, the data suggest that chimpanzee hand preferences for feeding are not constrained by situational factors and are relatively consistent in biased and unbiased testing conditions.
Hopkins
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Department of Psychology, Berry College, PO Box 495019, Mount Berry, GA 30149-5019, USA. whopkins@berry.edu
Fernández-Carriba
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D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000502:physiology*