Referential communication by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
Two experiments were conducted to assess the referential function of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) gestures to obtain food. The chimpanzees received 1 trial per condition. In Experiment 1 (N = 101), in full view of the chimpanzee, a banana was placed on top of 1 of 2 inverted buckets or was hidden underneath 1 of the buckets. In Experiment 2 (N = 35), 4 conditions were presented in constant order: (a) no food, no observer; (b) no food, observer present; (c) food present, no observer; and (d) food present, observer present. Gestures and visual orienting were used socially and referentially. The capacity for nonverbal reference may predate the Hominidae-Pongidae split, and the development of nonverbal reference may be independent of human species-specific adaptations for speech.
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA. davidl@sussex.ac.uk
David A
DA
Leavens
William D
WD
Hopkins
Roger K
RK
Thomas
D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D008297:Male; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012660:Semantics