ABSTRACT. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to cooperate in an instrumental task. A specially constructed fruit distributor was presented to a group of six captive chimpanzees. A cooperative response required two chimpanzees: both had to pull a handle simultaneously to make a fruit fall into the cage. The dominant male of the group and an infant produced most of the operant responses, and the male got nearly all the fruits. Other conspecifics avoided the dominant male at the apparatus. Social influences appear to limit the possibility of co-operation between individuals because a certain level of interindividual tolerance is required. The results revealed a significant increase in the number of pulls each time both chimpanzees were together at the apparatus. Operant chimpanzees learn to coordinate their actions in time and space.
ABSTRACT. To examine the development of cooperation in a captive group of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), we designed an apparatus which required the simultaneous traction by two animals to get a reward. Two chimpanzees, an adult male and an infant female in a group of six, produced most of the successful responses (pulling on two handles simultaneously). Visual behavior was used to try to determine what chimpanzees learned about the cooperative task. Propositions were made to investigate what kind of learning could be attributed to chimpanzees and were confronted with results. Both subjects learned the link between the presence of fruits on the apparatus and the possibility of getting a fruit. They also learned the importance of the partner at the apparatus to make a successful response. Only the adult male learned to take into account the behavior of the partner at the apparatus before pulling a handle. From a methodological point of view, the glances made by the animals can constitute a useful behavioral indicator of what the subjects learned in a given social situation.
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