IBN 95-07418 PI: Tomasello Information Transfer In nature, different groups of chimpanzees behave differently, leading to what some have called "cultural traditions." Tomasello's research will investigate the social processes of information transfer that underlie these traditions. In the domain of tool use, one individual from each of two social groups will be removed and taught a different way to use the same tool to crack nuts. Each trained animal will then be returned to its group, and opportunities for the group to observe the "trainee" and to use the tool themselves will be provided. The subsequent pattern of tool use in the two groups will then be compared to see if the different models of tool use made a difference. In the area of gestural communication, the gestural signals of a group of chimpanzees at the Yerkes Field Station will be documented. As this is the same group that has been studied previously, longitudinal comparisons of gestural signals among the groups will be possible. This will provide experimental data on how the gestures are learned socially. Concerning cooperation, pairs of chimpanzees will be presented with tasks in which cooperation is required. This will permit observations of how the animals communicate about the task or otherwise transmit information so as to coordinate their actions. Determining precisely how chimpanzees transfer information socially in these three behavioral domains is important because it will help to elucidate the nature of the mechanisms by means of which this species takes advantage of the knowledge of groupmates.
