Chimps can plan for the future, study finds

Chimpanzees may have the same ability to plan for the future as human children, an ability not shared by all monkeys. Researchers at Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College, and Wofford College tested chimpanzees, monkeys, and children with similar tasks, then studied the results. The findings were published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology.

In the experiment, chimpanzees and monkeys were tasked to complete 100 mazes using a computerized game system, complete with a cursor.  The goal was to move the cursor through the maze. Children were then given the same task.

The report finds that chimpanzees were able to complete most of the mazes, but had difficulty in mazes that required greater anticipation of future “trouble spots”. The monkeys had difficulty changing directions within the maze and fared worse than the chimpanzees. Children were able to navigate the mazes pretty easily, with older children outperforming younger children.