Chimpanzees improve their performance on complex tasks when in front of an audience, study indicates (Satya deep – Unsplash)
A recent study has revealed that chimpanzees, like many humans, perform better on complex tasks when they are being observed.
Researchers in Japan, observing chimpanzees at a primate research center, noticed that they performed better on touchscreen tests when a human audience was present.
This “audience effect,” where someone changes their behavior when they feel observed, appears to be an older evolutionary trait than previously thought, likely emerging before human societies based on reputation.
The study examined chimpanzees during daily touchscreen activities, rewarded with food, to see if this effect also occurs in other species. The chimpanzees studied, who frequently interact with humans, showed unique bonds with people, which made it easier to observe the audience effect.
It was observed that for the most challenging tasks, the chimpanzees’ performance improved as the number of observers increased, while for easier tasks, more spectators led to worse performance.
Scientists do not yet fully understand the mechanisms behind these audience-related behaviors in both chimpanzees and humans. However, the research suggests that attention to observers may have evolved before the rise of reputation-based societies among great primates, indicating that this behavior may not be exclusive to our species.
Source: Indy100 | Photo: Unsplash | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
