Folk Physics for Apes The Chimpanzee's Theory of How the World Works

by Povinelli, Daniel J.

• ISBN13: 9780198572190
• ISBN10: 0198572190
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

From an early age, humans know a surprising amount about basic physical principles, such as gravity, force, mass, and shape. We can see this in the way that young children play, and manipulate objects around them. The same behaviour has long been observed in primates - chimpanzees have beenshown to possess a remarkable ability to make and use simple tools. But what does this tell us about their inner mental state - do they therefore share the same understanding to that of a young child? Do they understand the simple, underlying physical principles involved? Though some people wouldsay that they do, this book reports groundbreaking research that questions whether this really is the case. Folk Physics for Apes challenges the assumptions so often made about apes. It offers us a rare glimpse into the workings of another mind, examining how apes perceive and understand the physical world - an understanding that appears to be both similar to, and yet profoundly different from our own.The book will have broad appeal to evolutionary psychologists, developmental psychologists, and those interested in the sub-disciplines of cognitive science (philosophy, anthropology). The book additionally offers for developmental psychologists some valuable new non-verbal techniques for assessingcausal understanding in young children.

Author Biography

Professor Daniel Povinelli is world famous for his controversial, but revolutionary experiments in the field of animal behavior. This book will attract considerable publicity, not least due to the controversial stance he takes in the long running debate over animal intelligence.

Table of Contents

An initial word about 'folk physics'

Preface

Folk physics cannot be assumed

Escaping the argument by analogy

Causality, tool use, and folk physics: a comparative approach

The trap-tube problem

The trap-table problem

The inverted- and broken-rake problems

The flimsy-tool problem

The tool-insertion problem: the question of shape

The rope, hook-retrieval, touching-stick, and related problems: the question of physical connection

The support problem: physical connection revisited

The bendable-tool and tool-construction problems: the question of tool modification

Toward a folk physics for chimpanzees

References

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.