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Author |
Neuringer, A. |
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Title |
Reinforced variability in animals and people: implications for adaptive action |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2004 |
Publication |
The American Psychologist |
Abbreviated Journal |
Am Psychol |
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Volume |
59 |
Issue |
9 |
Pages |
891-906 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Choice Behavior; Conditioning, Operant; Creativeness; Discrimination (Psychology); Humans; Memory; Problem Solving; *Reinforcement (Psychology) |
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Abstract |
Although reinforcement often leads to repetitive, even stereotyped responding, that is not a necessary outcome. When it depends on variations, reinforcement results in responding that is diverse, novel, indeed unpredictable, with distributions sometimes approaching those of a random process. This article reviews evidence for the powerful and precise control by reinforcement over behavioral variability, evidence obtained from human and animal-model studies, and implications of such control. For example, reinforcement of variability facilitates learning of complex new responses, aids problem solving, and may contribute to creativity. Depression and autism are characterized by abnormally repetitive behaviors, but individuals afflicted with such psychopathologies can learn to vary their behaviors when reinforced for so doing. And reinforced variability may help to solve a basic puzzle concerning the nature of voluntary action. |
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Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202, USA. allen.neuringer@reed.edu |
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0003-066X |
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PMID:15584823 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4106 |
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Author |
Dunbar, R.I.M.; McAdam, M.R.; O'connell, S. |
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Title |
Mental rehearsal in great apes (Pan troglodytes and Pongo pygmaeus) and children |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
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Volume |
69 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
323-330 |
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Keywords |
Algorithms; Animals; Child; Child, Preschool; Food; Frontal Lobe/anatomy & histology/physiology; Humans; *Imagination; Pan troglodytes; Pongo pygmaeus; Problem Solving/*physiology; Psychomotor Performance/physiology; Reward |
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The ability to rehearse possible future courses of action in the mind is an important feature of advanced social cognition in humans, and the “social brain” hypothesis implies that it might also be a feature of primate social cognition. We tested two chimpanzees, six orangutans and 63 children aged 3-7 years on a set of four puzzle boxes, half of which were presented with an opportunity to observe the box before being allowed to open it (“prior view”), the others being given without an opportunity to examine the boxes before handling them (“no prior view”). When learning effects are partialled out, puzzle boxes in the “prior view” condition were opened significantly faster than boxes given in the “no prior view” condition by the children, but not by either of the great apes. The three species differ significantly in the speed with which they opened boxes in the “no prior view” condition. The three species' performance on this task was a function of relative frontal lobe volume, suggesting that it may be possible to identify quantitative neuropsychological differences between species. |
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Evolutionary Psychology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK. rimd@liv.ac.uk |
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0376-6357 |
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PMID:15896530 |
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2097 |
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Author |
Sterling, E.J.; Povinelli, D.J. |
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Title |
Tool use, aye-ayes, and sensorimotor intelligence |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1999 |
Publication |
Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Folia Primatol (Basel) |
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70 |
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1 |
Pages |
8-16 |
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Animals; *Behavior, Animal; Feeding Behavior; Female; *Intelligence; Male; Problem Solving; *Psychomotor Performance; Strepsirhini/*physiology/psychology |
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Humans, chimpanzees, capuchins and aye-ayes all display an unusually high degree of encephalization and diverse omnivorous extractive foraging. It has been suggested that the high degree of encephalization in aye-ayes may be the result of their diverse, omnivorous extractive foraging behaviors. In combination with certain forms of tool use, omnivorous extractive foraging has been hypothesized to be linked to higher levels of sensorimotor intelligence (stages 5 or 6). Although free-ranging aye-ayes have not been observed to use tools directly in the context of their extractive foraging activities, they have recently been reported to use lianas as tools in a manner that independently suggests that they may possess stage 5 or 6 sensorimotor intelligence. Although other primate species which display diverse, omnivorous extractive foraging have been tested for sensorimotor intelligence, aye-ayes have not. We report a test of captive aye-ayes' comprehension of tool use in a situation designed to simulate natural conditions. The results support the view that aye-ayes do not achieve stage 6 comprehension of tool use, but rather may use trial-and-error learning to develop tool-use behaviors. Other theories for aye-aye encephalization are considered. |
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Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Gottingen, Germany |
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English |
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0015-5713 |
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PMID:10050062 |
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no |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4178 |
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Author |
Rilling, M.E.; Neiworth, J.J. |
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Title |
How animals use images |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1991 |
Publication |
Science Progress |
Abbreviated Journal |
Sci Prog |
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75 |
Issue |
298 Pt 3-4 |
Pages |
439-452 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Association Learning; Columbidae; *Concept Formation; *Imagination; *Mental Recall; Motion Perception; Problem Solving; *Thinking; *Visual Perception |
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Animal cognition is a field within experimental psychology in which cognitive processes formerly studied exclusively with people have been demonstrated in animals. Evidence for imagery in the pigeon emerges from the experiments described here. The pigeon's task was to discriminate, by pecking the appropriate choice key, between a clock hand presented on a video screen that rotated clockwise with constant velocity from a clock hand that violated constant velocity. Imagery was defined by trials on which the line rotated from 12.00 o'clock to 3.00 o'clock, then disappeared during a delay, and reappeared at a final stop location beyond 3.00 o'clock. After acquisition of a discrimination with final stop locations at 3.00 o'clock and 6.00 o'clock, the evidence for imagery was the accurate responding of the pigeons to novel locations at 4.00 o'clock and 7.00 o'clock. Pigeons display evidence of imagery by transforming a representation of movement that includes a series of intermediate steps which accurately represent the location of a moving stimulus after it disappears. |
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Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824 |
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0036-8504 |
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PMID:1842858 |
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no |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2831 |
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Author |
Benson-Amram, S.; Weldele, M.L.; Holekamp, K.E. |
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Title |
A comparison of innovative problem-solving abilities between wild and captive spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Animal Behaviour |
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Volume |
85 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
349-356 |
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Keywords |
Crocuta crocuta; innovation; neophobia; problem solving; spotted hyaena |
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Innovative problem solving enables individuals to deal with novel social and ecological challenges. However, our understanding of the importance of innovation for animals in their natural habitat is limited because experimental investigations of innovation have historically focused on captive animals. To determine how captivity affects innovation, and whether captive studies of animal innovation suffer from low external validity, we need experimental investigations of innovation in both wild and captive populations of the same species in diverse taxa. Here we inquired whether wild and captive spotted hyaenas differ in their ability to solve the same novel technical problem, and in the diversity of exploratory behaviours they exhibit when first interacting with the problem. Our results suggest that wild and captive populations show important differences in their innovative problem-solving abilities. Captive hyaenas were significantly more successful at solving the novel problem, and significantly more diverse in their initial exploratory behaviour, than were wild hyaenas. We were able to rule out hypotheses suggesting that these differences result from excess energy or time available to captive animals. We conclude that captive hyaenas were more successful because captive individuals were less neophobic and more exploratory than their wild counterparts. These results have important implications for our interpretation of studies on innovative problem solving in captive animals and aid our attempts to gain a broader understanding of the importance of innovation for animals in their natural habitat. |
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0003-3472 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5657 |
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Author |
Meehan, C.L.; Mench, J.A. |
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Title |
The challenge of challenge: Can problem solving opportunities enhance animal welfare? |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
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Volume |
102 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
246-261 |
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Keywords |
Cognition; Environmental enrichment; Challenge; Eustress; Problem solving; Intrinsic motivation |
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Cognitive mechanisms are an important part of the organization of the behavior systems of animals. In the wild, animals regularly face problems that they must overcome in order to survive and thrive. Solving such problems often requires animals to process, store, retrieve, and act upon information from the environment--in other words, to use their cognitive skills. For example, animals may have to use navigational, tool-making or cooperative social skills in order to procure their food. However, many enrichment programs for captive animals do not include the integration of these types of cognitive challenges. Thus, foraging enrichments typically are designed to facilitate the physical expression of feeding behaviors such as food-searching and food consumption, but not to facilitate complex problem solving behaviors related to food acquisition. Challenging animals by presenting them with problems is almost certainly a source of frustration and stress. However, we suggest here that this is an important, and even necessary, feature of an enrichment program, as long as animals also possess the skills and resources to effectively solve the problems with which they are presented. We discuss this with reference to theories about the emotional consequences of coping with challenge, the association between lack of challenge and the development of abnormal behavior, and the benefits of stress (arousal) in facilitating learning and memory of relevant skills. Much remains to be done to provide empirical support for these theories. However, they do point the way to a practical approach to improving animal welfare--to design enrichments to facilitate the cognitive mechanisms which underlie the performance of complex behaviors that cannot be performed due to the restrictions inherent to the captive environment. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2890 |
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Author |
Call, J.; Tomasello, M. |
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Title |
Use of social information in the problem solving of orangutans (<em>Pongo pygmaeus</em>) and human children (<em>Homo sapiens</em>) |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1995 |
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Journal of Comparative Psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. Comp. Psychol. |
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109 |
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3 |
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308-320 |
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cross species imitative learning in problem solving, human 3–4 yr olds vs orangutans |
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Fourteen juvenile and adult orangutans and 24 3- and 4-yr-old children participated in 4 studies on imitative learning in a problem-solving situation. In all studies a simple to operate apparatus was used, but its internal mechanism was hidden from subjects to prevent individual learning. In the 1st study, orangutans observed a human demonstrator perform 1 of 4 actions on the apparatus and obtain a reward; they subsequently showed no signs of imitative learning. Similar results were obtained in a 2nd study in which orangutan demonstrators were used. Similar results were also obtained in a 3rd study in which a human encouraged imitation from an orangutan that had previously been taught to mimic arbitrary human actions. In a 4th study, human 3- and 4-yr-old children learned the task by means of imitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
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US: American Psychological Association |
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1939-2087 (Electronic); 0735-7036 (Print) |
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yes |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ 1995-42883-001 |
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5448 |
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Author |
Griffin, A.S.; Guez, D. |
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Title |
Innovation and problem solving: A review of common mechanisms |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2014 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
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109 |
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121-134 |
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Behavioural flexibility; Cognition; Innovation; Problem solving |
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Behavioural innovations have become central to our thinking about how animals adjust to changing environments. It is now well established that animals vary in their ability to innovate, but understanding why remains a challenge. This is because innovations are rare, so studying innovation requires alternative experimental assays that create opportunities for animals to express their ability to invent new behaviours, or use pre-existing ones in new contexts. Problem solving of extractive foraging tasks has been put forward as a suitable experimental assay. We review the rapidly expanding literature on problem solving of extractive foraging tasks in order to better understand to what extent the processes underpinning problem solving, and the factors influencing problem solving, are in line with those predicted, and found, to underpin and influence innovation in the wild. Our aim is to determine whether problem solving can be used as an experimental proxy of innovation. We find that in most respects, problem solving is determined by the same underpinning mechanisms, and is influenced by the same factors, as those predicted to underpin, and to influence, innovation. We conclude that problem solving is a valid experimental assay for studying innovation, propose a conceptual model of problem solving in which motor diversity plays a more central role than has been considered to date, and provide recommendations for future research using problem solving to investigate innovation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognition in the wild. |
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0376-6357 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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6556 |
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Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Whiten, A. |
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Title |
Imitation of the sequential structure of actions by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1998 |
Publication |
Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
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112 |
Issue |
3 |
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270-281 |
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Animals; Appetitive Behavior/physiology; *Ceremonial Behavior; Exploratory Behavior/physiology; Female; Fruit; Imitative Behavior/*physiology; Learning/*physiology; Male; Pan troglodytes/*psychology; Practice (Psychology); Problem Solving/*physiology |
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Imitation was studied experimentally by allowing chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to observe alternative patterns of actions for opening a specially designed “artificial fruit.” Like problematic foods primates deal with naturally, with the test fruit several defenses had to be removed to gain access to an edible core, but the sequential order and method of defense removal could be systematically varied. Each subject repeatedly observed 1 of 2 alternative techniques for removing each defense and 1 of 2 alternative sequential patterns of defense removal. Imitation of sequential organization emerged after repeated cycles of demonstration and attempts at opening the fruit. Imitation in chimpanzees may thus have some power to produce cultural convergence, counter to the supposition that individual learning processes corrupt copied actions. Imitation of sequential organization was accompanied by imitation of some aspects of the techniques that made up the sequence. |
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Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. a.whiten@st-andrews.ac.uk |
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0735-7036 |
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PMID:9770315 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
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743 |
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Author |
Horowitz, A.C. |
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Do humans ape? Or do apes human? Imitation and intention in humans (Homo sapiens) and other animals |
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Journal Article |
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2003 |
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Journal of comparative psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
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117 |
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3 |
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325-336 |
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Adolescent; Adult; Animals; *Appetitive Behavior; Attention; Child, Preschool; Concept Formation; Female; Humans; *Imitative Behavior; Male; Motivation; Pan troglodytes/*psychology; *Problem Solving; *Psychomotor Performance; Reaction Time; Species Specificity |
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A. Whiten, D. M. Custance, J.-C. Gomez, P. Teixidor, and K. A. Bard (1996) tested chimpanzees' (Pan troglodytes) and human children's (Homo sapiens) skills at imitation with a 2-action test on an “artificial fruit.” Chimpanzees imitated to a restricted degree; children were more thoroughly imitative. Such results prompted some to assert that the difference in imitation indicates a difference in the subjects' understanding of the intentions of the demonstrator (M. Tomasello, 1996). In this experiment, 37 adult human subjects were tested with the artificial fruit. Far from being perfect imitators, the adults were less imitative than the children. These results cast doubt on the inference from imitative performance to an ability to understand others' intentions. The results also demonstrate how any test of imitation requires a control group and attention to the level of behavioral analysis. |
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Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. ahorowitz@crl.ucsd.edu |
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Washington, D.C. : 1983 |
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0735-7036 |
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PMID:14498809 |
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yes |
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refbase @ user @ |
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736 |
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