Chimpanzees’ flexible targeted helping based on an understanding of conspecifics’ goals

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 109; no. 9; pp. 3588 - 3592
• Main Authors: Yamamoto, Shinya, Humle, Tatyana, Tanaka, Masayuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 28.02.2012; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Altruism; Animal cognition; Animals; Biological altruism; Biological Sciences; Chimpanzees; collective action; Comprehension; Conspecifics; Empathy; Evolution; Female; Goals; Helping Behavior; Humans; Learning; Legal objections; Male; Monkeys & apes; Objectives; Pan troglodytes; Pan troglodytes - psychology; Primates; Research universities; Social Sciences; Straw; Theory of Mind; Tool Use Behavior; Vision, Ocular

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...