Researchers published results in Science about a bonobo called Kanzi. He is an enculturated bonobo who can follow verbal prompts and point to items. Scientists designed tea party–style tests to study pretend play.
In the first test, an experimenter pretended to pour juice into two clear cups and then pretended one cup was empty; Kanzi usually pointed to the cup with pretend juice. A second test added a real cup of juice and Kanzi chose the real drink when asked. A third test used grapes and jars, and Kanzi again indicated the pretend grape.
The team concluded Kanzi could imagine pretend objects and know they were not real. Researchers plan to test other apes and animals and to study more parts of imagination.
Difficult words
- bonobo — a small great ape related to chimpanzees
- enculturated — raised with human culture and learning
- experimenter — a person who does a scientific test
- pretend — act as if something is real when it is notpretended
- imagine — make a picture or idea in the mind
- conclude — decide something after looking at resultsconcluded
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever played a pretend tea party? What did you pretend?
- Do you think other animals can imagine? Why or why not?
- Why is it important to study pretend play in animals?
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