Gorillas in the Booth

The touch-screen research being conducted in the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes is exciting for a number of reasons, but one that may be overlooked is the participation of gorillas.

Gorillas traditionally haven’t taken part in computer-based research for the simple reason that there aren’t any gorillas in labs. So while plenty of chimpanzee and monkey cognitive research has taken place, Lincoln Park Zoo has a unique opportunity to study one of Homo sapiens’ closest relatives.

As the touch-screen research began, there was some doubt as to how the gorillas would respond. Gorillas are typically viewed as less curious and less interested in manipulating objects than chimpanzees, Ross explains.

This impression seemed to be supported by the gorillas’ exposure to the termite mound research station in the Regenstein Center for African Apes’ Strangler Fig Forest enclosure. While the chimpanzees began using sticks to “fish” ketchup and mustard from inside the mound almost immediately, the gorillas showed little success at first and seemed to learn the task at a slower rate than the Chimpanzees.

With the cognitive-research sessions, however, the results have been surprising.

Rollie has shown steady progress in the sequencing module—she’s mastered the sequencing of two numbers and has moved on to three—and female gorilla Makari recently began training with the touchframes, learning to touch random symbols to retrieve the food reward before she begins Phase I.

The Fisher Center has also recently begun collaborating with Zoo Atlanta, lending them a  touch-frame so they can develop their own gorilla-cognitive project.