Experiment on Patience and More with 40 Wild Chimpanzees
"Chimpanzees' Abilities Mature by Their Teens"
Adolescent chimpanzees exhibit impulsive and risky behaviors similar to human teenagers, but a study has found that their patience surpasses that of human adolescents.
On the 30th (local time), the American CNN reported that a research team led by Professor Alexandra Rosati from the University of Michigan conducted experiments measuring impulsivity, risk-taking tendencies, and patience on 40 wild chimpanzees born in a protected area of the Republic of Congo, confirming this fact.
Professor Rosati explained, "Teenagers undergo rapid physical and brain changes during puberty, tend to be more impulsive and risk-seeking than adults, but have weaker emotional regulation skills," adding, "Chimpanzees also face similar challenges as they grow."
Chimpanzees, which have a lifespan of about 50 years, are known to enter puberty between 8 and 15 years old. During this period, they experience rapid hormonal changes, form new social bonds, increase aggression, and compete for social status, much like humans.
In this study, the research team conducted two tests using food rewards on adolescent and adult chimpanzees.
The first test, designed to assess risk-taking tendencies, involved choosing between two boxes: one containing peanuts and the other containing either cucumber or banana. Chimpanzees are known to prefer bananas over peanuts and dislike cucumbers.
The results showed that adolescent chimpanzees were more likely than adults to choose the box with an uncertain reward of either banana or cucumber over the box with peanuts. This indicates that adolescent chimpanzees have a much higher risk-taking tendency than adult chimpanzees.
The second test measured patience, similar to the so-called "marshmallow test." Chimpanzees were given a choice between eating one piece of banana immediately or waiting one minute to receive three pieces of banana.
Both adult and adolescent chimpanzees waited for one minute at similar rates to receive three pieces of banana. However, adolescent chimpanzees displayed significantly more anxious and angry behaviors during the waiting period compared to adults.
Adolescent chimpanzees, like human teenagers, exhibit impulsive and risky behaviors, but a study found that their patience is stronger than that of adolescent boys. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The research team noted that in similar experiments with humans, teenagers often choose immediate smaller rewards over waiting for larger ones, suggesting that adolescent chimpanzees may have stronger patience than human adolescents.
Professor Rosati stated, "Previous studies have suggested that chimpanzees have much stronger patience than other animals," and explained, "This study shows that chimpanzees’ ability to delay gratification is already mature during adolescence, unlike humans."
The findings of this study were published in the latest issue of the American Psychological Association (APA) journal, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
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