Previously, a belief was widely held that human altruism evolved only after humans split from their ape cousins about 6 million years ago. In recent years, however, research has revealed just how much chimpanzees have in common with us. They can hunt with spears, play with dolls and mourn their partners’ death.
"Most of the earlier studies had presented the apes with a complex implement that helped them deliver food to themselves or others, often so complicated that the experiments tested tool skills rather than social tendencies," De Waal told Live Science. "Ours is the first study that uses no such implement at all."
In addition to using complex food-delivery systems, past experiments often placed the chimpanzees so far apart that they might not have realized how their actions benefited others. In these new, simplified experiments, two apes were housed next to each other with a screen through which they could see each other. Then, one chimpanzee had to choose between two differently colored tokens (币) from a bin, one of which represented a pro-social (亲社会的) option, the other a selfish option. The pro-social option would cause both chimpanzees to receive a piece of banana wrapped in paper. The selfish option only rewarded the ape who made the choice.
In a study with seven adult female chimps placed into various pairs, the scientists found all the apes showed a definite preference for the pro-social option. "For me, the most important finding is that like us, chimpanzees take into account the needs and wishes of others," researcher Victoria Horner, said.
【上海市十三校2015届高三第一次联考英语试卷】相关文章:
★ 河北省唐山一中2015届高三上学期12月调研考试英语试卷word版含答案
★ 河北省保定市高阳中学2015届高三上学期第十三次周练英语试卷
★ 广东省广州英豪学校2014-2015学年高一上学期期中英语试卷
★ 黑龙江省哈尔滨市第六中学2015届高三12月月考英语试卷
★ 福建省莆田八中2015届高三上学期第二次月考英语试卷 Word版含答案
★ 河南省濮阳县第一中学2015届高三上学期期中考试英语试卷
最新
2019-11-15
2019-11-15
2019-11-14
2019-11-14
2019-11-11
2019-11-11