(Phys.org) —Monkeys, much like young children, can work out abstract properties of objects by looking at them, according to the latest research.
In a new study by scientists at the University of St Andrews, it was found that non-human primates share the same basic knowledge as a three-year-old child in their understanding of objects.
The researchers behind the study, of capuchin monkeys, chimpanzees and bonobos, say that the results suggest that there is more to their world than meets the eye.
Dr Amanda Seed, a lecturer at the University's School of Psychology & Neuroscience, said, "We set out to find out how animals conceive the world around them. Do they have any idea that objects have abstract properties, like solidity and weight? Or do they rely on learning arbitrary relationships between what you see, what you do and what you get, in the same way that we learn to stop at a red light?"
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