Bonobos, Chimpanzees and the Developmental Origins of Human Cognition

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

What is it about the human species that makes it so different from any other species on the planet? Humans have unmatched technologies, organize with ever more complex forms of institutions and governments, and develop economies that allow the inhabitation of every place on this planet and even beyond. Across disciplines, scientists believe that it is the unusual propensity of humans for cooperation and cultural learning that makes this possible. It is currently thought that these aspects of human psychology arose because evolution shaped the very way human psychology develops. Specifically, it has been proposed that human social skills emerge extremely early in development relative to other apes and that these skills allow human infants to learn from adults in ways that other species cannot. To test the idea that human infants uniquely develop, researchers are carrying out the first large scale longitudinal developmental study designed to compare how the cognition of infant bonobos and chimpanzees develop. Dozens of chimpanzee and bonobo infants living in African sanctuaries are being followed as they grow up over three years so that their cognition can be evaluated and directly compared to that of human infants. In doing so crucial developmental patterns responsible for unique human cognitive abilities are being identified that can help explain the origins of development disorders. Education programs are developed to assure that African and U.S. students benefit from the knowledge that the results produce and underrepresented populations are participating in the research. The web and other media are used to communicate results to the broader public. Finally, this research is supporting African partners in the critical mission of enforcing conservation laws aimed at reducing the poaching of the last remaining wild apes in their African home.