Public information use in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and children (Homo sapiens).
The discernment of resource quality is pertinent to many daily decisions faced by animals. Public information is a critical information source that promotes quality assessments, attained by monitoring others' performance. Here we provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use public information to guide resource selection. Thirty-two chimpanzees were presented with two simultaneous video demonstrations depicting a conspecific acquiring resources at a fast (resource-rich) or slow (resource-poor) rate. Subsequently, subjects selected the resource-rich site above chance expectation. As a comparison, we report evidence of public information use in young children. Investigation of public information use in primates is pertinent, as it can enhance foraging success and potentially facilitate payoff-biased social learning.
Centre for Coevolution of Biology & Culture, Department of Anthropology, Durham University.
Gill L
GL
Vale
Department of Psychology, Durham University.
Emma G
EG
Flynn
Department of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Susan P
SP
Lambeth
Department of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Steven J
SJ
Schapiro
Department of Anthropology, Centre for Coevolution of Biology & Culture, Durham University.
Rachel L
RL
Kendal
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000502:physiology*; D012938:Social Perception