From Hominoid to Hominid Mind

What Changed and Why

Bibliographic Data

ID2295249
AuthorsBrian Hare (Duke University, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume40
Issue1
Pages293-309
Publication date2011-10-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnual Review of Anthropology (BOOK_SERIES)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0084-6570 • E-ISSN: 1545-4290
PublisherAnnual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1146/annurev-anthro-081309-145726
OpenAlexW1992923051
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited128

The living great apes, and in particular members of the genus Pan, help test hypotheses regarding the cognitive skills of our extinct common ancestor. Research with chimpanzees suggests that we share some but not all of our abilities to model another's perspective in social interactions. Large-scale comparisons among human infants, bonobos, chimpanzees, and orangutans on both social and physical problem-solving tasks demonstrate that human infants are unique for their early emerging social cognitive skills, which facilitate participation in cultural interactions. Comparisons between bonobos and chimpanzees also reveal cognitive differences that are likely due to developmental shifts. These comparative studies suggest that our species' capabilities to assess the psychological states of others are built on those abilities that were present in our last common ape ancestor and were derived, in part, owing to shifts in cognitive ontogeny that likely account for species differences among other apes as well

Ancestor · Biological evolution · Biology · Cognition · Cognitive development · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Evolutionary biology · Geography · Hominidae · Human evolution · Perspective (graphical · Theory of mind · Child and Animal Learning Development · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Psychology

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