Bonobos Can Tell When They Know Something You Don't (newscientist.com) 18
A study found that bonobos can recognize when someone lacks knowledge they possess and take action to help, demonstrating a basic form of theory of mind. This suggests that the ability to understand others' perspectives is evolutionarily older than previously thought and may have existed in our common ancestors to enhance cooperation and coordination. New Scientist reports: [W]e have been missing clear evidence from controlled settings that primates can track a perspective that differs from their own and then act upon it, says Luke Townrow at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. To investigate this, Townrow and Christopher Krupenye, also at Johns Hopkins University, tested if three male bonobos at the Ape Initiative research centre in Iowa could identify ignorance in someone they were trying to cooperate with, and then gesture to them to help solve the task. On a table between the bonobo and an experimenter were three upturned plastic cups. A second researcher placed a barrier between the experimenter and the cups, then hid a treat, like a juicy grape, under one of them.
In one version of the experiment, the "knowledge condition," a window in the barrier allowed the experimenter to watch where the treat was placed. In the "ignorance condition," their view was completely blocked. If the experimenter found the food, they would give it to the bonobo, providing a motivation for the apes to share what they knew. Townrow and Krupenye looked at whether the ape pointed at the cup, and how quickly they pointed, after the barrier had been removed over 24 trials for each condition. They found that, on average, the bonobos took 1.5 seconds less time to point and pointed in approximately 20 per cent more trials in the ignorance condition. "This shows that they can actually take action when they realize that somebody has a different perspective from their own," says Krupenye. It appears that bonobos understand features of what others are thinking that researchers have historically assumed they didn't comprehend, he adds. The findings have been published in the journal PNAS.
In one version of the experiment, the "knowledge condition," a window in the barrier allowed the experimenter to watch where the treat was placed. In the "ignorance condition," their view was completely blocked. If the experimenter found the food, they would give it to the bonobo, providing a motivation for the apes to share what they knew. Townrow and Krupenye looked at whether the ape pointed at the cup, and how quickly they pointed, after the barrier had been removed over 24 trials for each condition. They found that, on average, the bonobos took 1.5 seconds less time to point and pointed in approximately 20 per cent more trials in the ignorance condition. "This shows that they can actually take action when they realize that somebody has a different perspective from their own," says Krupenye. It appears that bonobos understand features of what others are thinking that researchers have historically assumed they didn't comprehend, he adds. The findings have been published in the journal PNAS.
Do they shuffle the cups? (Score:2)
And who is paying for this?
Re: (Score:3)
And who is paying for this?
Funding came from several sources. They are listed in the "Acknowledgment" section of the paper.
Here's the link: www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2412450122 [pnas.org].
Sponsors include John Hopkins University, a Templeton charity, and a Canadian institute.
Re: (Score:2)
My 1st thought was: did they show them so much footage of Trump they felt smart?
It's far cheaper and ethically accepted to experiment on primates so knowing the extent they are like us is useful. Also it tells you what is nature vs nurture since if they do it then it's biologically inherited. It's far better than putting an Orangutan in charge of humans.
Re: (Score:2)
yeah:
> This suggests that the ability to understand others' perspectives is evolutionarily older than previously thought
It also suggests commander cheeto is stupider than a chimp
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think so. He understands so many people are doing the cheating, stealing and dishonesty for him, he doesn't have to 'negotiate' with anyone. Ignorance of this fact is why so many people are surprised that Trump's racism, misogyny and blackmail affects them: They thought Trump had "perspective" when really, he had a brainwashed audience who would excuse any dumb shit he did, until was too late.
A few days ago, someone used the concept of Status Anxiety to explain the swing toward Trump. A fear o
Slashdot commenters, on the other hand (Score:3)
*Always* think they know something you don't.
Re: (Score:1)
Whereas on stackoverflow, they pretend they want to help but really only want to downvote your question to make themselves feel smarter
Re: (Score:2)
I would rather work with bonobos.
Re: (Score:2)
I see it differently: Human trust ideas like God and country will make people work together. Some apes and some simians trust sexual gratification will make 'people' work together. Also, slutty females means the males doesn't know which baby belongs to which fuck-buddy: Child-care becomes a group responsibility, which they're willing to do because, casual sex.
Simple Explanation (Score:3)
The bonobo knows what it knows at all times. It knows this because it knows what you don't. By subtracting what it knows from what the you don't, or what you don't know from what it does (whichever is greater), it obtains a difference, or deviation. The bonobo uses deviations to generate corrective commands to drive you from a position where you don't know to a position where you do.
Re: (Score:2)
By subtracting what it knows from what the you don't, or what you don't know from what it does (whichever is greater),
Are you suggesting bonobos can't handle negative numbers?
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, thanks for the notice Mr Knows About The Stuff.
Nas as in nasal, right?
get a proper theory of consciousness ffs (Score:1)
when we finally decide to grow up and accept that life and consciousness are the same, stuff like this will seem a lot less mysterious. What WILL be mysterious is how fucking cruel we have been, as anyone who's seen those leaked abattoir videos will know. If we then come to understand that it isn't life that comes first in that equation, well, that does change the game a bit...
Probably goes back further than apes (Score:2)