チンパンジーのリアルタイム映像利用

抄録

Movement information is crucial for behavioral decisions. Previous studies found evidence that video images could be a useful tool to present stimulus in empirical investigation. However, whether animals recognize a video, which reflects reality, as an image of real-world objects/events remains still unclear. In this study, we examined if the aid of a live video image of a foraging related event would have the same effect as a live event to direct a chimpanzee's (Pan troglodytes) behavior to successfully obtain food. We tested five individuals using two-choice test after a food positioning demonstration. If a chimpanzee can choose the side which has positioned with food, she can get the reward. To watch the demonstration directly, they have to either stand up or climb up. In Experiment 1, chimpanzees can watch food positioning event directly or/and watch it on a live video. In Experiment 2, they can only watch from the video. Results show that in Experiment 1, all chimpanzees searched for information of food location actively—three of them found a way to watch the event directly and the other two watched video. In Experiment 2, three out of six chimpanzees referred the food location on video to the position of a real-world food. Our results suggest that chimpanzees are capable of extracting information from live video images in response to the food in a real space.