Evidence of joint commitment in great apes’ natural joint actions

Heesen, R.; Zuberbühler, K.; Bangerter, A.; Iglesias, K.; Rossano, F.; Pajot, A.; Guéry, J.P.; Genty, E.

Abstract

Human joint action seems special, as it is grounded in joint commitment—a sense of mutual obligation participants feel towards each other. Comparative research with humans and non-human great apes has typically investigated joint commitment by experimentally interrupting joint actions to study subjects’ resumption strategies. However, such experimental interruptions are human-induced, and thus the question remains of how great apes naturally handle interruptions. Here, we focus on naturally occurring interruptions of joint actions, grooming and play, in bonobos and chimpanzees. Similar to humans, both species frequently resumed interrupted joint actions (and the previous behaviours, like grooming the same body part region or playing the same play type) with their previous partners and at the previous location. Yet, the probability of resumption attempts was unaffected by social bonds or rank. Our data suggest that great apes experience something akin to joint commitment, for which we discuss possible evolutionary origins.

Citation

Heesen, R., Zuberbühler, K., Bangerter, A., Iglesias, K., Rossano, F., Pajot, A., Guéry, J., & Genty, E. (2021). Evidence of joint commitment in great apes’ natural joint actions. Royal Society Open Science, 8(12), Article 211121. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211121

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 8, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Dec 8, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Deposit Date: Dec 13, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 2, 2022
• Journal: Royal Society Open Science
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: 211121
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211121
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1219588