Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Cognitive Development in Bonobos and Chimpanzees

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are equally related to humans but present contrasting models of the last common ancestor (LCA) of humans and the genus Pan. Bonobos' distinctions from chimpanzees have been argued to be paedomorphic, or juvenilelike, with support for this hypothesis coming largely from cranial morphology but also from certain elements of bonobo behavior. It is currently unknown whether bonobos also exhibit cognitive paedomorphism relative to chimpanzees. This hypothesis will be tested by an investigation of cognitive development in bonobos and chimpanzees. The proposed research will systematically compare infants of both species on a variety of cognitive tasks previously utilized in humans and adult apes. Results will inform the hypothesis that bonobos have undergone selection for a broad spectrum of paedomorphic traits relative to their LCA with chimpanzees. More generally, this work will illuminate how developmental parameters have changed in recent ape evolution, including what features of humans are unique. This proposal consists of original research synthesizing areas that have not frequently been linked: anthropology, evolutionary biology, and developmental psychology. The results will provide insight into the evolution of human cognition and behavior, the comparative ontogeny of cognition across species, and the effects of shifts in developmental timing on cognitive traits. This research will be carried out at African ape sanctuaries, contributing to conservation by supplying funding to care for these apes and providing employment in range countries of chimpanzees and bonobos. Sanctuaries are a key conservation resource, providing refuge for apes that otherwise would have been casualties of the bushmeat trade. Ongoing collaboration with Congolese doctoral students will increase the prospects of ape sanctuaries as research sites where local students can develop skills that will allow them to contribute to international scientific dialogue on human evolution and great ape conservation.