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## Apes Demonstrate the Ability to Imagine Objects That Aren’t There
Researchers have discovered that great apes, specifically bonobos, possess a remarkable cognitive ability previously thought to be unique to humans: the capacity to imagine objects that are not physically present.This finding challenges assumptions about animal intelligence and highlights the complex inner lives of these creatures.The research, led by a team from Johns Hopkins University, centered around a bonobo named Kanzi. The team presented Kanzi with scenarios involving “pretend” objects – a cup appearing to contain juice, or a jar seemingly holding grapes – even when those objects were absent.
First, researchers asked Kanzi, “Where’s the juice?”
Kanzi consistently pointed to the correct cup that had *previously* contained pretend juice, even when the experimenters moved the location of the cup. This indicated Kanzi wasn’t simply remembering where he *saw* juice,but rather remembering where juice *should* be,based on a prior representation.
To rule out the possibility that kanzi believed real juice was hidden in the cup, a second experiment was conducted. This time, a cup of real juice was presented alongside the cup used for the “pretend” juice scenario. When asked what he wanted, Kanzi overwhelmingly chose the real juice, demonstrating he understood the difference between the real and the imagined.A third experiment involved grapes. An experimenter mimicked taking a grape from an empty container and then placed it inside one of two jars. They then pretended to empty the container and asked Kanzi, “Where’s the grape?” Again, Kanzi accurately indicated the location of the pretend object.
While Kanzi wasn’t always perfect, his responses were consistently above chance, demonstrating a clear understanding of the concept.
“It’s extremely striking and very exciting that the data seem to suggest that apes,in their minds,can conceive of things that are not there,” says Juliane Bastos,a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and lead author of the study.
“Kanzi is able to generate an idea of this pretend object and at the same time know it’s not real.”
The findings, published in *Science* (DOI: 10.1126/science.adz0743), are inspiring further research. Researchers are now investigating whether other ape species – such as chimpanzees and orangutans – and other animals exhibit similar abilities to engage in pretend play or track pretend objects. the team also plans to explore other aspects of creativity in apes, including their capacity for future planning and understanding the mental states of others (theory of mind).
“Imagination is one of those things that in humans gives us a rich mental life. and if some roots of imagination are shared with apes, that should make people question their assumption that other animals are just living robotic lifestyles constrained to the present,” explains Claudia Krupenye, an assistant professor of comparative cognition at Duke University and co-author of the study.
“We should be compelled by these findings to care for these creatures with rich and lovely minds and ensure they continue to exist.”
Support for the work came from the Johns Hopkins Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, Templeton World Charity Foundation, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars, and an Early Career Collaboration enhancement Award from the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute.
Source: Johns Hopkins University