The Mentalities of Gorillas and Orangutans Comparative Perspectives [Paperback]

This interesting 1999 study sets gorilla and orangutan cognitive abilities in context with the other great apes and humans.Studies on chimpanzee and bonobo mental abilities have been widely used to explore the evolution of human intelligence, but gorilla and orangutan research has been neglected. This unique volume rectifies the situation to complete the picture of human cognitive evolution. It explores the differences between these animals, amongst our closest living relatives, and compares them directly with human children to enable the reader to fully understand how human intelligence might have evolved. It will be essential reading for graduate students and researchers in comparative psychology, biological anthropology and cognitive science.Studies on chimpanzee and bonobo mental abilities have been widely used to explore the evolution of human intelligence, but gorilla and orangutan research has been neglected. This unique volume rectifies the situation to complete the picture of human cognitive evolution. It explores the differences between these animals, amongst our closest living relatives, and compares them directly with human children to enable the reader to fully understand how human intelligence might have evolved. It will be essential reading for graduate students and researchers in comparative psychology, biological anthropology and cognitive science.Research on the mental abilities of chimpanzees and bonobos has been widely celebrated and used in reconstructions of human evolution. In contrast, scant attention has been paid to the abilities of gorillas and orangutans. This volume aims to complete the picture of hominoid cognition by bringing together the work on gorillas and orangutans and setting it in comparative perspective. This book's introductory chapters set the evolutionary context for comparing cognition in gorillas and orangutans to that of chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. The remaining chapters focus primarily on the kinds and levels of inlC­