Loading...
Between-task consistency, temporal stability and the role of posture in simple reach and fishing hand preference in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Diaz, Sergio Murray, Lindsay Roberts, Sam G. B. Rodway, Paul
Diaz, Sergio
Murray, Lindsay
Roberts, Sam G. B.
Rodway, Paul
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
EPub Date
Publication Date
2021-07-31
Submitted Date
Collections
Files
Loading...
Main article
Adobe PDF, 357.1 KB
Other Titles
Abstract
Studying hand preferences in chimpanzees can provide insights into the evolutionary origins of human hemispheric specialization. Research on chimpanzee hand preference requires careful examination of important factors such as posture, between-task consistency and temporal stability, although few studies have investigated all of these factors in combination. We investigated hand preference in simple reach and fishing behaviours in a group of 19 chimpanzees at Chester Zoo in the UK. Simple reach was defined as extending a hand to grasp a small object, then flexing the limb in a continuous motion, and was examined in quadrupedal, sitting and climbing postures. Fish in hole was defined as inserting a stick into a hole in the wall with one hand and then extracting it with the same hand. Between-task consistency of hand preference was assessed by comparing simple reach and fish in hole, while temporal stability was assessed by comparing simple reach from two points in time: 2017 and 2019. The data showed no significant influence of posture on the strength of hand preference, which contrasts with previous research. The findings of this study show temporal stability in simple reach, although only partial between-task consistency. Overall, the results indicate that simple reach elicits laterality at the individual level and is consistent across postures and stable over time, which is consistent with the literature. These results suggest that posture stability may be important in affecting hand preference. Further, whilst there was overall stability in hand preference across time periods, some individuals changed their preferred hand, suggesting there may be individual level temporal instability of hand preference for certain tasks.
Citation
Diaz, S. G., Murray, L., Roberts, S. G. B., & Rodway, P. (2021). Between-task consistency, temporal stability and the role of posture in simple reach and fishing hand preference in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Special Issue: Animal Lateralization, 242, 105417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105417
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Research Unit
DOI
10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105417
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
Language
Description
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0168-1591