Folk Physics for Apes

The Chimpanzee's Theory of How the World Works

Dados Bibliográficos

ID24136254
AutoresDaniel J Povinelli (0000-0003-0790-9252, autor correspondente), Daniel Povinelli
Ano2003
Páginas391
Data de publicação2003-05-08
Open AccessNão
TipoBOOK
PeriódicoFolk Physics for Apes (SOURCE_BOOK)
EditoraOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198572190.001.0001
OpenAlexW4205306957
Open LibraryOL3704250M
ISBN9780198572190
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas8

From an early age, humans know a surprising amount about basic physical principles, such as gravity, force, mass, and shape. We can see this in the way that young children play and manipulate objects around them. The same behavior has long been observed in primates — chimpanzees have been shown to possess a remarkable ability to make and use simple tools. But what does this tell us about their inner mental state — do they therefore share the same understanding to that of a young child? Do they understand the simple, underlying physical principles involved? Though some people would say that they do, this book reports groundbreaking research that questions whether this really is the case. Challenging the assumptions so often made about apes, it offers us a rare glimpse into the workings of another mind, examining how apes perceive and understand the physical world — an understanding that appears to be both similar to, and yet profoundly different from our own.

Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Epistemology · Simple (philosophy) · Philosophy · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Psychology · Apes · Behavior · Chimpanzees · Cognition · Cognition in animals · Comparative Psychology · Pan troglodytes · Primates, behavior · Problem solving · Psychology, comparative · Psychomotor Performance · Tool use in animals