Chimps Solve Complex Problems Better When Watched By Audience: Study

Chimpanzees perform better at solving complex tasks when they are being observed by individuals familiar to them, such as researchers, a recent Japan-based study has found, according to Kyodo News.

Results showed the chimpanzees performed best when observed by researchers directly involved in the experiment.

The study, conducted by researchers from Kyoto University and Akita Prefectural University and published in the U.S. science journal iScience, also revealed that chimpanzees perform worse on simpler tasks when under observation.

While it remains unclear whether animals other than humans adjust their behavior when aware of being watched—a phenomenon known as the "audience effect."

Shinya Yamamoto, an associate professor of comparative cognitive science at Kyoto University, commented, "If chimpanzees care about who is observing them, the audience effects seen in human society may have roots in our ape ancestors."

The research monitored six chimpanzees at Kyoto University’s Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior over six years. The primates completed 50 to 90 tasks daily under varying observational conditions.

Observers were divided into three groups: those actively participating in the experiment, individuals familiar to the chimpanzees but not directly involved (e.g., caretakers), and complete strangers.

The most challenging task involved recalling randomly placed numbers on a screen. Results showed the chimpanzees performed best when observed by researchers directly involved in the experiment.