10: Unwilling or unable?

In this film, an experiment is designed to if chimpanzees can understand the intentional actions of others. Understanding the intent of other is a fundamental part of human life: it affects our social lives and the ways in which we react to other people. Do chimpanzees possess a similar cognition and does it affect their behaviour?

The chimps are tested in three situations: in the first they are given food, in the second the experimenter is 'unable' to give them food, and in the third the experimenter is 'unwilling' to give them food.

Can the chimpanzees tell the difference, and will it affect their behaviour? The chimps were not trained in the task before the experiment began.

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Dr Brian Hare, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.