Project Status: Ongoing

Immigrant orangutan males as cultural vectors & the evolution of tolerance vs. xenophobia

Throughout human history immigrants have always been drivers of cultural change, contributing to the diversity and formation of local cultures by transmitting new knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, xenophobic tendencies that prevent beneficial mutual exchange are on the rise. There is evidence that both tendencies, being tolerant as well as being xenophobe toward strangers, are as... Read more »

The development of cognition and curiosity in immature orangutans

The cultural intelligence hypothesis states that individuals with more opportunities for social learning during ontogeny will later show a wider repertoire of learned skills as well as enhanced problem solving skills. Furthermore, from an ultimate point of view species with more opportunities for social learning are predicted to show an innate predisposition to be more... Read more »