The researchers used a problem-solving task that produced a reward for the participants—peanuts for chimps and orangutans, and chocolate drops for children. Participants were given the chance to play with a box with three sections. One of the sections would produce a reward when a ball was dropped into it, while the other two wouldn’t. The researchers could control which of the sections produced the reward.
The participants played with the boxes long enough to learn which section would give them a reward. Once they had learned this, they watched three peers (of the same species) dropping balls into a different section—and getting a reward. Finally, the participants were given three new balls and allowed to drop them into any of the sections. With each ball, participants could choose to stay with the initial section that they had learned would dispense rewards, switch to the section they had seen give rewards to their peers, or choose the third section.
Only this time, all of the sections gave a reward. So, if the participant decided to switch, they wouldn’t be put off their decision by a lack of reward.
Only a third of the children stayed with the section they already knew, while two-thirds switched to their peers’ choice with at least one of their three balls. In comparison, only 17 percent of the chimps and orangutans switched.
via Ars Technica
What percent of the orangutans labelled the old reward box ‘overthinking it…’ and were completely triggered by Fair Trade and other issues with chocolate? Eh…they got nuts, not the Tiger Mom books.