Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind? 30 years later

On the 30th anniversary of Premack and Woodruff's seminal paper asking whether chimpanzees have a theory of mind, we review recent evidence that suggests in many respects they do, whereas in other respects they might not. Specifically, there is solid evidence from several different experimental...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in cognitive sciences 2008-05, Vol.12 (5), p.187-192
Main Authors: Call, Josep, Tomasello, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal ethology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Concept Formation - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Goals
Humans
Intention
Mammalia
Neurology
Pan troglodytes - psychology
Perception - physiology
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Recognition (Psychology) - physiology
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social psychology
Species Specificity
Vertebrata
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Summary:On the 30th anniversary of Premack and Woodruff's seminal paper asking whether chimpanzees have a theory of mind, we review recent evidence that suggests in many respects they do, whereas in other respects they might not. Specifically, there is solid evidence from several different experimental paradigms that chimpanzees understand the goals and intentions of others, as well as the perception and knowledge of others. Nevertheless, despite several seemingly valid attempts, there is currently no evidence that chimpanzees understand false beliefs. Our conclusion for the moment is, thus, that chimpanzees understand others in terms of a perception–goal psychology, as opposed to a full-fledged, human-like belief–desire psychology.
ISSN:1364-6613
1879-307X
DOI:10.1016/j.tics.2008.02.010