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7 - Differences between Humans, Great Apes and Monkeys in Cognition, Communication, Language and Morality

from Subpart II.1 - Infancy: The Roots of Human Thinking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2022

By
Jacques Vauclair
Edited by
Olivier Houdé  and
Grégoire Borst
Olivier Houdé
Affiliation:
Université de Paris V
Grégoire Borst
Affiliation:
Université de Paris V
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Summary

The comparative psychology of human and nonhuman primates’ cognition, communication, language and morality is a prime area of study for understanding not only the roots of these abilities in our cousins, but also their place in human evolution. The groundbreaking work in this area was undertaken by Yerkes (1916) and Koehler (1925). Both scientists studied the mental life of apes. Using ingenious apparatus and procedures, such as the multiple-choice experiment, Yerkes investigated what Piaget was later to call object permanence. He also invented the stacking experiment (a suspended banana can only be reached if two or more boxes are stacked one on top of another), which was subsequently popularized by Koehler’s famous studies of problem-solving abilities in chimpanzees.

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The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Development , pp. 151 - 167
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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