Monkeys and dogs are able to assess human behavior and experience more sympathy for the kind and responsive people.
It researchers found, the results of the research which was published in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
In the experiment with the Capuchin monkeys, the actor pretended that he could not open the box, which is a toy. He asked about other actors and he agreed or not. Then, both actors offered the Capuchins the food. If the second actor agreed to help, the monkey took food from the hands of both of them equally, but if not – I preferred the first actor.
In another experiment, one of the actors had to share with the other balls and then try to get them back. And again the Capuchins were equally attuned to the actors in the case, if the second actor returned balls, and avoided him if he left the balls.
In the experiment with dogs, the animal tried to open the box in the presence of one or two actors. One of them agreed or refused to help, the second did not react at all. As a result, when they offered the dogs a treat, the animals took it the actor who helped the owner. If the actor refused to help, the dogs chose the one that remained passive.
As the researchers note, the results indicate that monkeys and dogs are able to evaluate the actions of others. Most likely, in the wild, monkeys do it within their own social groups. Dogs also learn to evaluate human behavior during the long close neighborhood.
Previously, scientists have also found out that the nervousness of a dog depends on behavior of the host.
