How great is great ape foresight?
Abstract
Osvath and Osvath (Anim Cogn 11: 661-674, 2008) report innovative studies with two chimpanzees and one orangutan that suggest some capacity to select and keep a tool for use about an hour later. This is a welcome contribution to a small, but rapidly growing, field. Here we point out some of the weaknesses in the current data and caution the interpretation the authors advance. It is not clear to what extent the apes really engaged in any foresight in these studies.
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These ape studies were conducted without adequate controls to rule out simple associative explanations, unlike the New Caledonian crow study.
“these studies were importantly conducted without adequate controls to rule out simple associative explanations [169], as were implemented in the New Caledonian crow study ([50]; but see [170]).”
From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [169]
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- Authors
- Suddendorf, T., Corballis, M. C., & Collier-Baker, E.
- Affiliations
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Suddendorf, Thomas
- Venue
- Animal Cognition
- Published
- 2009-06-30
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 751-754
- ISSN
- 1435-9448 (ISSN-L)
- 1435-9456
- OpenAlex
- W2002466236
- Cited by
- 68
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 10.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Animal Cognition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- great apes, foresight, tool use, chimpanzees, orangutans
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Pan troglodytes, Cognition, Memory, Pongo pygmaeus, Time Perception, Tool Use Behavior
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