New study finds monkeys and kids share same grasp of geometry
Researchers found baboons, macaques and preschoolers matched rotated shapes by geometric similarity, suggesting formal schooling may refine an older cognitive ability.
- Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University published research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing olive baboons, rhesus macaques, and human children share an evolutionarily ancient intuition for two-dimensional geometric shapes, cognitively processing them identically.
- Geometry has long been considered unique to humans, with most scientists assuming non-human primates lacked geometric understanding; the study overturns this decades-old assumption by providing first evidence baboons and macaques share intuitions present in young humans.
- The team tested eight adult monkeys—four rhesus macaques and four olive baboons—alongside 55 U.S. preschoolers ages 3-6 and 77 Indigenous Tsimane adults from Bolivia with minimal formal education, isolating developmental abilities from cultural and educational factors.
- Cognitive neuroscientist Jessica Cantlon found children and monkeys rely on intuitive processing while adults lean on symbolic representation learned through formal education, suggesting geometric intuitions represent shared architecture of the primate mind rather than uniquely human intelligence.
- Cantlon emphasized education builds on children's existing geometric intuitions rather than teaching from scratch, while the Primate Portal at Seneca Park Zoo provides K-12 classrooms open-access data linked to elevated math scores and heightened STEM career interest.
56 Articles
56 Articles
The monkeys understand geometry just like humans, reveals a scientific study that has put in check one of the most rooted beliefs in the field of cognitive science and the evolution of intelligence: the idea that the understanding of abstract concepts, such as geometry, is unique to human beings. This finding challenges the traditional conception that has prevailed for a long time, which holds that the understanding of complex geometric relation…
You probably won’t find a monkey in a geometry class, but it seems that our fellow primates do dominate basic concepts. Like humans, monkeys seem to understand the abstract qualities of geometric figures, as if they are symmetrical, have parallel sides or contain right angles, according to a new study published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This ability allows monkeys — and us — to understand when two figures are …
One study revealed that macaques, children and adults share a similar way of understanding geometric relationships.
Monkeys Share The Roots Of Human Geometric Thinking, Study Finds
Monkeys aren't as sharp as adults, but their geometric thinking is far more sophisticated than credited, overlapping considerably with young children's. The post Monkeys Share The Roots Of Human Geometric Thinking, Study Finds appeared first on StudyFinds.
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cmu.eduMadrid. A new study by Carnegie Mellon University (United States) states that children and monkeys share a common understanding of geometry.
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