Some Aspects Of Behavior Toward Novelty In Young Chimpanzees

Behavior toward novelty was studied in 2 young isolation-reared chimpanzees. In 1 experiment, Ss were adapted to an object and subsequently exposed to objects that varied systematically from this standard. New objects were found to elicit more contact than the familiar object. There was a suggestion that these preferences were not immediate since the Ss were initially cautious. In a 2nd experiment, Ss were presented a series of "completely novel" objects and allowed to adapt to each in turn. They seemed to "learn to play" since, later in the series, contacts came to be immediate and persistent even on the 1st trial. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)