| Orangutans (Pongo spp.) may prefer tools with rigid properties to flimsy tools. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21090889 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Preference for tools with either rigid or flexible properties was explored in orangutans (Pongo spp.) through an extension of D. J. Povinelli, J. E. Reaux, and L. A. Theall's (2000) flimsy-tool problem. Three captive orangutans were presented with three unfamiliar pairs of tools to solve a novel problem. Although each orangutan has spontaneously used tools in the past, the tools presented in this study were novel to the apes. Each pair of tools contained one tool with rigid properties (functional) and one tool with flimsy properties (nonfunctional). Solving the problem required selection of a rigid tool to retrieve a food reward. The functional tool was selected in nearly all trials. Moreover, two of the orangutans demonstrated this within the first test trials with each of the three tool types. Although further research is required to test this statistically, it suggests either a preexisting preference for rigid tools or comprehension of the relevant features required in a tool to solve the task. The results of this study demonstrate that orangutans can recognize, or learn to recognize, relevant tool properties and can choose an appropriate tool to solve a problem. |
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Authors:
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Kristina R Walkup; Robert W Shumaker; Jill D Pruetz |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) Volume: 124 ISSN: 1939-2087 ISO Abbreviation: J Comp Psychol Publication Date: 2010 Nov |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-11-24 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8309850 Medline TA: J Comp Psychol Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 351-5 Citation Subset: IM |
Copyright Information:
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(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved). |
Affiliation:
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Great Ape Trust, Des Moines, IA, USA. kwalkup2004@yahoo.com |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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