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Chimpanzee Intelligence: Man’s Closest Relative Outwits Humans In ‘Game Theory’ Test

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*Note: These random values were chosen to illustrate the mechanisms behind this game, not provide numbers that accurately depict each player’s choice

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While humans like to think they are the most intellectually gifted creatures, one recent study proves that chimpanzees can outperform humans in game theory. Psychologists Colin Camerer and Tetsuro Matsuzawa challenged chimpanzees against humans in a two-player video game study where each player chose left and right squares on a touchscreen panel without knowing the opponent’s choice. The first player won if his or her choice matched the opponent’s and the second player won if his or her choice did not match. After each subsequent round, the opponent’s decision was displayed and payoffs in money or apple cubes dispensed to the winner. Competitive games like this involved two players, two strategies, and zero or positive payoffs in reward allowing predictions based on recognized patterns in the opponent’s past choices.

Unlike a human’s limited memory that could barely recall details in the last hour, chimpanzees have a photographic memory and can remember patterns rapidly. Neither player had a strictly dominant strategy because they were directly competing against each other and consequently depended on memory of past opponent moves for the best response and highest payoffs. Each player wanted to randomize his/her behavior so that the other player became indifferent to the alternatives and was not exploited or taken advantage of with zero money or apple cubes. This study revealed that chimpanzees played an ideal game with choices closer to game theory equilibrium, while human player choices drifted further away from equilibrium. Although human players had difficulty recalling past moves and predicting their opponent’s next decision, chimpanzee players could easily memorize and foresee the next move.

While this study proved that chimpanzees have higher memory retention and better strategies in games, our evolution from chimpanzees to humans enlarged our brain for highly-specialized thoughts at the expense of memory preservation. Although chimpanzees use their tactical minds to gain an edge over their peers and become the alpha male, humans rely more on language and cooperation to thrive in our egalitarian community. Each species has unique adaptations like memory retention and pattern recognition to compete with each other and adapt to their surroundings, but there will always be trade-offs that add on or sacrifice existing traits.

Sources: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chimps-outplay-humans-in-brain-games1/

http://www.ibtimes.com/chimpanzee-intelligence-mans-closest-relative-outwits-humans-game-theory-test-1675682

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