Water games by mountain gorillas: implications for behavioral development and flexibility—a case report

Costa, Raquel; Hayashi, Misato; Huffman, Michael A.; Kalema‐Zikusoka, Gladys; Tomonaga, Masaki

doi:10.1007/s10329-019-00749-6

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The specific research context of this study, using video footage of the Bossou chimpanzees while they are in the forest clearing of the outdoor lab, constrains the number of different games that could be observed—for example, water games ( Costa et al, 2019 ) cannot be observed in this environment. The physical substrate around the outdoor lab limits the amount of arboreal play.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in hide-and-seek, hiding is allowed, and where and how to hide is up to the player; leaving the play area or hiding for too long might be counter-productive despite achieving the intended goal of not being found. There is evidence that apes have standardised games and play them with each other and human partners ( Costa et al, 2019 ; Pika & Zuberbühler, 2008 ; Tanner & Byrne, 2010 ). However, these examples focus on special contexts ( e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chimpanzee play sequences are structured hierarchically as games

Mielke

Carvalho

2022

PeerJ

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Social play is ubiquitous in the development of many animal species and involves players adapting actions flexibly to their own previous actions and partner responses. Play differs from other behavioural contexts for which fine-scale analyses of action sequences are available, such as tool use and communication, in that its form is not defined by its function, making it potentially more unpredictable. In humans, play is often organised in games, where players know context-appropriate actions but string them together unpredictably. Here, we use the sequential nature of play elements to explore whether play elements in chimpanzees are structured hierarchically and follow predictable game-like patterns. Based on 5,711 play elements from 143 bouts, we extracted individual-level play sequences of 11 Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of different ages from the Bossou community. We detected transition probabilities between play elements that exceeded expected levels and show that play elements form hierarchically clustered and interchangeable groups, indicative of at least six games that can be identified from transition networks, some with different roles for different players. We also show that increased information about preceding play elements improved predictability of subsequent elements, further indicating that play elements are not strung together randomly but that flexible action rules underlie their usage. Thus, chimpanzee play is hierarchically structured in short games which limit acceptable play elements and allow players to predict and adapt to partners’ actions. This “grammar of action” approach to social interactions can be valuable in understanding cognitive and communicative abilities within and across species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chimpanzee play sequences are structured hierarchically as games

Mielke

Carvalho

2022

PeerJ

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show abstract

“…The specific research context of this study, using video footage of the Bossou chimpanzees while they are in the forest clearing of the outdoor lab, constrains the number of different games that could be observed – for example, water games as in mountain gorillas (Costa et al, 2019) cannot be observed in this environment. The physical substrate around the outdoor lab limits the amount of arboreal play.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in hide-and-seek, hiding is allowed, but laughing loudly is counterproductive, where and how to hide is up to the player. There is evidence that apes have standardised games and play them with each other and human partners (Costa et al, 2019; Pika & Zuberbühler, 2008; Tanner & Byrne, 2010) – however, these examples focus on special contexts (e.g., playing in water, playing socially with objects), and we do not have a method to determine how widespread predictable behavioural rules are.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chimpanzee play sequences are structured hierarchically as games

Mielke

Carvalho

2022

Preprint

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Social play is ubiquitous in the development of many animal species and involves players adapting actions flexibly to their own previous actions and partner responses. Play differs from other behavioural contexts for which fine-scale analyses of action sequences are available, such as tool use and communication, in that its form is not defined by its functions, making it potentially more unpredictable. In humans, play is often organised in games, where players know context-appropriate actions but string them together unpredictably. Here, we use the sequential nature of play elements to explore whether play elements in chimpanzees are structured hierarchically and follow predictable game-like patterns. Based on 5711 play elements from 143 bouts, we extracted individual-level play sequences of 11 Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of different ages from the Bossou community. We detected transition probabilities between play elements that exceeded expected levels and show that play elements form hierarchically clustered and interchangeable groups, indicative of at least six games that can be identified from transition networks, some with different roles for different players. We also show that increased information about preceding play elements improved predictability of subsequent elements, further indicating that play elements are not strung together randomly but that flexible action rules underlie their usage. Thus, chimpanzee play is hierarchically structured in short games which limit acceptable play elements and allow players to predict and adapt to partners' actions. This "grammar of action" approach to social interactions can be valuable in understanding cognitive and communicative abilities within and across species.

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Anthropogenic influences on play of the green monkeys of Barbados

Amrhein,

Eason

2024

Animal Behaviour

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Water games by mountain gorillas: implications for behavioral development and flexibility—a case report

Cited by 4 publications

References 38 publications

Chimpanzee play sequences are structured hierarchically as games

Chimpanzee play sequences are structured hierarchically as games

Chimpanzee play sequences are structured hierarchically as games

Anthropogenic influences on play of the green monkeys of Barbados

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