#experimental design
Original footage was of ferrofluid, taken on an iPhone 6. Edited in After Effects by Vanessa Brown.
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(Photo credit: Karen Huntt / Corbis, TIME.com “Babies Vs. Chimps…”)
Environment, not evolution, might underlie some human-ape differences (ScienceDaily, 15 July 2019)
Apes’ abilities have been unfairly measured, throwing into doubt the assumed belief that human infants are superior to adult chimpanzees, according to a new study (published in Animal Cognition) by leaders in the field of ape cognition.
[Researchers] say it should come as no surprise that apes raised in institutions would not perform well compared with humans raised in western families, especially when tested with western cultural practices, for example, gestures such as pointing…
“Most studies, comparing apes with human children, for instance, have been poorly designed, with different relevant experiences given to each species, testing them at different ages in many cases, and then claiming to have found a difference in social cognition between humans and apes, but the species haven’t been treated similarly before or during the tests.
"These studies suffer from the same type of prejudice that once existed in studies of human intelligence, which started from a biased position of assuming northern Europeans were innately more intelligent than southern Europeans. We argue the same type of bias is apparent in cross-species studies…”
The researchers say it’s vital scientists realise that environmental experiences vary among humans (both between children and adults, and between people with different cultural experiences) and among apes (also from young to old, and between apes with different experiences).
"…To truly understand the abilities of each species, research needs to examine specific individual learning histories within specific ecological circumstances for both humans and for apes.
“We urge researchers to stop using fallacious research designs and reasoning in studies of comparative cognition.” (full article)
Story Article:
University of Portsmouth. “Environment, not evolution, might underlie some human-ape differences.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 July 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190715094847.htm>.
Journal Reference:
David A. Leavens, Kim A. Bard, William D. Hopkins. The mismeasure of ape social cognition. Animal Cognition, 2017; 22 (4): 487 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1119-1
