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Krasnow Institute > Monday Seminars > Abstracts Observational Learning in Orang utans Robert Shumaker A number of species have been documented to learn through observation. The majority of these reports find evidence for social facilitation and stimulus enhancement, two forms of observational learning. The most sophisticated form, imitation, has rarely been reported. In this study, the observational learning abilities of orang utans are explored. Six individuals were formed into three study dyads, each containing a demonstrator and an observer. The demonstrator in each dyad learned match-to-sample tasks of increasing complexity in the presence of the observer. During the observation period, two of the three observers imitated the performance of their demonstrator on a number of occasions. After an extended period of exposure to the performance of the demonstrator, the observers were tested to assess their ability on the same tasks. When tested outside the presence of a demonstrator, none of the observers were capable of solving the tasks. However, when given the opportunity to learn the task individually, all of the observers showed a significantly faster rate of acquisition than their demonstrator partners on the more difficult portions of the task. The results of this study indicate that orang utans are able to imitate the performance of a demonstrator, although this may not be sufficient to confer complete comprehension of a task. However, when given the opportunity to observe a task and then have direct experience with the same task, the orang utans in this study showed a significantly faster rate of comprehension than their demonstrator partners.
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