Chimpanzees' flexible targeted helping based on an understanding of conspecifics' goals
Chimpanzees' flexible targeted helping based on an understanding of conspecifics' goals
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1108517109
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发表时间：
2012-02-28
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Tanaka, Masayuki
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yamamoto, Shinya;Humle, Tatyana;Tanaka, Masayuki
人类广泛地利他帮助他人，这在维持合作社会中起着重要作用。虽然一些非人类动物也能够无私地帮助他人，但人类在自愿帮助和各种帮助行为方面被认为是独一无二的。许多人仍然认为，这是因为只有人类才能理解他人的目标，这是由于我们独特的“心理理论”能力，特别是共同的意向性。然而，我们对非人类动物帮助他人的认知机制知之甚少，特别是它们是否以及如何理解他人的目标。本研究为黑猩猩根据同种需要灵活提供有针对性的帮助提供了经验证据。本研究的受试者从随机的七个物体中选择了一个适当的工具，并将其转移给面临不同工具使用情况的同种伙伴，这表明他们了解他们的伙伴需要什么。这种有针对性的帮助，（即，选择适当的工具转移），只有在帮助者可以直观地评估他们的伴侣的情况下才能观察到。如果视觉通路受阻，黑猩猩仍然会根据要求帮助伴侣，但未能选择和捐赠伴侣所需的适当工具。这些结果表明，黑猩猩自愿帮助他人的局限性并不一定是由于无法理解他人的目标。黑猩猩可以理解同类的目标，并表现出认知先进的有针对性的帮助，只要他们能够视觉评估他们的同类的困境。然而，他们很少会在没有直接请求帮助的情况下帮助别人。
Humans extensively help others altruistically, which plays an important role in maintaining cooperative societies. Although some nonhuman animals are also capable of helping others altruistically, humans are considered unique in our voluntary helping and our variety of helping behaviors. Many still believe that this is because only humans can understand others' goals due to our unique "theory of mind" abilities, especially shared intentionality. However, we know little of the cognitive mechanisms underlying helping in nonhuman animals, especially if and how they understand others' goals. The present study provides the empirical evidence for flexible targeted helping depending on conspecifics' needs in chimpanzees. The subjects of this study selected an appropriate tool from a random set of seven objects to transfer to a conspecific partner confronted with differing tool-use situations, indicating that they understood what their partner needed. This targeted helping, (i.e., selecting the appropriate tool to transfer), was observed only when the helpers could visually assess their partner's situation. If visual access was obstructed, the chimpanzees still tried to help their partner upon request, but failed to select and donate the appropriate tool needed by their partner. These results suggest that the limitation in chimpanzees' voluntary helping is not necessarily due to failure in understanding others' goals. Chimpanzees can understand conspecifics' goals and demonstrate cognitively advanced targeted helping as long as they are able to visually evaluate their conspecifics' predicament. However, they will seldom help others without direct request for help.