Comparative curiosity: How do great apes and children deal with uncertainty?

ABSTRACT: Humans are perhaps the most curious animals on earth, but to what extent our innate motivations for discovering new information are shared with our closest relatives remain poorly understood. To shed light on this question, we presented great apes with two experimental paradigms in which they had to initially choose between an empty opaque cup and a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in study 1, or to choose between a transparent cup with rewards or a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in studies 2 and 3. We also presented young children with scenarios comparable to the second paradigm (studies 4 and 5). Notably, after the initial choice phase, we presented participants with potential alternatives providing better rewards than the previously secured option

SUBMITTER: Sanchez-Amaro A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10231759 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature