Psychology Yamamoto et al.
Chimpanzee helping
• Title:
• Chimpanzees’ exible targeted helping based on an understanding of conspeci cs’ goals.
• Year: 2012
Psychology being investigated
• Altruism: Willingness to do certain things to others even though it has a disadvantage to
yourself.
• Pro-social behaviour: Any action or behaviour that has the intention of helping others.
• Instrumental helping: Help and care based on the cognitive appreciation of the need or
situation of others.
Background
• Humans extensively help others altruistically, which plays an important role in maintaining
society.
• Other animals engage in helping, but more often at the request of other conspeci c.
• The ability to o er targeted help to members of our own species relies on the ‘Theory of mind’
ability.
• Some recent studies show that some primates (others then humans) have the capacity for
helping and food sharing without direct bene t of them.
Aims
• To investigate whether chimpanzees have the ability and exibility to help another chimpanzee
depending on its speci c needs.
• The research team had noted that the chimpanzees seldom help others without being asked
and the team, wanted to investigate this too.
Procedure
• Research Method: Laboratory experiment
• Experimental Design: Repeated measures
• IV: ‘Can see’ and ‘cannot see’ conditions
• DV: Results of can see and cannot see conditions & proportion of trial where the stick or straw
was given or not given.
• Sample: 5 Chimpanzee named Ai, Cleo, Pal, Ayumu and Pan. They were socially housed at the
Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University. They were paired with a kin: Ai (mother) and
Ayumu (juvenile); Pan and Pal; Chloe (not tested in experimental condition) and Cleo. All pairs
had shown too-giving interactions in previous research and were labelled as experts at the tool-
use tasks used in this study.
• Sampling technique: Opportunity.
• In the rst condition, the potential helper chimpanzee was able to see the other’s tool-use
situation, in the second situation, they could not see.
• The chimpanzees were recorded on video camera and this was used to produce quantitative
data - the number of correctly targeted o ers per condition. The video also captured the
behaviour of the chimpanzees.
• Study approved by Animal Care Committee at Kyoto University.
• Paired chimps were tested in adjacent experimental booths measuring 136 x 142cm and 155 x
142cm; both 200cm high.
• A hole measuring 12.5 x 35cm and 1m above the oor was in the panel wall.
• Experiment was designed so that it required the chimp to select and transfer an appropriate tool
to a conspeci c partner so that the partner could solve a task and obtain a drink of nice as a
reward.
• Recipient chimp could not reach any of the tools in the adjoining booth.
• They could show that they wanted a tool by poking their arm through the hole.
fi fifffl fi ff fi fl fl fi fi
Chimpanzee helping
• Title:
• Chimpanzees’ exible targeted helping based on an understanding of conspeci cs’ goals.
• Year: 2012
Psychology being investigated
• Altruism: Willingness to do certain things to others even though it has a disadvantage to
yourself.
• Pro-social behaviour: Any action or behaviour that has the intention of helping others.
• Instrumental helping: Help and care based on the cognitive appreciation of the need or
situation of others.
Background
• Humans extensively help others altruistically, which plays an important role in maintaining
society.
• Other animals engage in helping, but more often at the request of other conspeci c.
• The ability to o er targeted help to members of our own species relies on the ‘Theory of mind’
ability.
• Some recent studies show that some primates (others then humans) have the capacity for
helping and food sharing without direct bene t of them.
Aims
• To investigate whether chimpanzees have the ability and exibility to help another chimpanzee
depending on its speci c needs.
• The research team had noted that the chimpanzees seldom help others without being asked
and the team, wanted to investigate this too.
Procedure
• Research Method: Laboratory experiment
• Experimental Design: Repeated measures
• IV: ‘Can see’ and ‘cannot see’ conditions
• DV: Results of can see and cannot see conditions & proportion of trial where the stick or straw
was given or not given.
• Sample: 5 Chimpanzee named Ai, Cleo, Pal, Ayumu and Pan. They were socially housed at the
Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University. They were paired with a kin: Ai (mother) and
Ayumu (juvenile); Pan and Pal; Chloe (not tested in experimental condition) and Cleo. All pairs
had shown too-giving interactions in previous research and were labelled as experts at the tool-
use tasks used in this study.
• Sampling technique: Opportunity.
• In the rst condition, the potential helper chimpanzee was able to see the other’s tool-use
situation, in the second situation, they could not see.
• The chimpanzees were recorded on video camera and this was used to produce quantitative
data - the number of correctly targeted o ers per condition. The video also captured the
behaviour of the chimpanzees.
• Study approved by Animal Care Committee at Kyoto University.
• Paired chimps were tested in adjacent experimental booths measuring 136 x 142cm and 155 x
142cm; both 200cm high.
• A hole measuring 12.5 x 35cm and 1m above the oor was in the panel wall.
• Experiment was designed so that it required the chimp to select and transfer an appropriate tool
to a conspeci c partner so that the partner could solve a task and obtain a drink of nice as a
reward.
• Recipient chimp could not reach any of the tools in the adjoining booth.
• They could show that they wanted a tool by poking their arm through the hole.
fi fifffl fi ff fi fl fl fi fi
