Miquel Llorente
Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Girona, associate professor Serra Húnter and principal investigator of the Comparative Minds research group
The research on social learning in chimpanzees, as presented in this study, not only sheds light on the ability of these primates to acquire complex skills but also offers important implications for our understanding of human culture and animal behavior in general.
The results reveal that chimpanzees can learn sophisticated skills by observing their conspecifics, suggesting surprising parallels with human social learning, not previously described. This finding reinforces the idea that social learning is not exclusive to humans and raises fascinating questions about the similarities and differences in the psychological mechanisms of learning among species.
Understanding how animals, such as chimpanzees, learn and transmit knowledge to members of their species is crucial for understanding the evolution of human culture. The study of animal behavior provides a unique window to explore the origins and nature of culture, as well as to challenge anthropocentric conceptions of intelligence and society.
Furthermore, the loss of species like chimpanzees due to extinction poses serious implications for our understanding of the natural world and our connection to it. These beings are valuable not only in their own right but also play a fundamental role in scientific research and in understanding ourselves as biological and cultural beings.
Ultimately, these kinds of studies serve to remind us of the importance of preserving biological diversity and promoting the conservation of threatened species like chimpanzees, not only to safeguard their biological legacy but also the cultural one. Not only the lives of these fascinating creatures are at stake but also our own understanding of the world and our place in it.