Abstract
Bodies are important social cues for animals. Body recognition in humans is deteriorated by inversion. This inversion effect suggests the configural processing of bodies, which is different from the processing used for other objects. However, it is not known if this type of body processing exists in non-human primates. We tested seven chimpanzees using upright and inverted chimpanzee body stimuli and other stimuli in matching-to-sample tasks to examine the body inversion effect and the body parts that invoke it. Our results reflected the body inversion effect for intact chimpanzee bodies, bodies with complete body contours, and bodies with clear faces but not for the objects and other conditions that did not present complete body contours and clear faces. The results show that chimpanzees share configural body processing with humans and that bodies are special to them compared with other objects. The results also revealed the functions of faces and body contours in configural processing by chimpanzees.
Highlights
Both faces and bodies provide important social cues for animals
This suggests that they use configural processing, rather than the featural processing used for houses and other objects, in response to bodies
We examined the functions of different body parts in configural processing
Summary
Both faces and bodies provide important social cues for animals. Previous studies have reported the inversion effect for faces widely, in humans (e.g. [1,2,3]) and non-human primates (e.g. [4,5,6]). The performance of face recognition decreases significantly when faces are inverted compared to when they are shown upright This is called the inversion effect, and it has been regarded as a solid index for configural processing (reviewed in [7]). In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, face stimuli activate certain brain areas (e.g. the fusiform face area in the lateral fusiform gyrus) more than other objects do, and the inversion of faces affects this activation [10, 11]. These findings suggest that faces are special to humans and some non-human animals compared to other objects.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
