The study took place at a research centre in Kyoto, Japan, where six chimpanzees were observed doing touchscreen tasks. The researchers discovered that the chimpanzees did better at harder tasks when they had an audience, but they performed worse at easier tasks when they were watched by more people.

This result suggests that chimpanzees, like humans, are affected by the "audience effect" – the idea that people or animals behave differently when they think others are watching them. This effect was once thought to be something only humans experienced.

The Study

Christen Lin, a researcher at Kyoto University, said that it was surprising to find that chimpanzees were affected by being watched, especially by humans. She said, "It is surprising to find that chimpanzees care about human audiences when doing tasks. We didn't expect them to be influenced by people watching them."

The study was carried out over six years, where the chimpanzees were observed completing various tasks on a touchscreen. The researchers recorded thousands of videos of the chimpanzees working.

The results showed that the chimpanzees performed better when the tasks were difficult, but their performance was worse when the tasks were easy and more people were watching them.

"Choking ... occurs when you feel pressure to get everything right.”

Assoc. Prof. Sian Beilock

What Does This Mean?

The researchers could not explain exactly why the chimpanzees behaved this way, but they think that being watched might change how the chimpanzees see the rewards, how much they have to concentrate, and how difficult the task feels.

If chimpanzees pay attention to who is watching them while they work, this could be something that evolved before humans created societies based on reputation. Shinya Yamamoto

Shinya Yamamoto, another researcher at Kyoto University, said that these results suggest that the "audience effect" is not only something humans experience. He believes that this type of behaviour might have been present in our ape ancestors long before humans developed complex societies based on reputation and social status.

Yamamoto added, "If chimpanzees pay attention to who is watching them while they work, this could be something that evolved before humans created societies based on reputation."

This study shows that chimpanzees may share some similarities with humans when it comes to how they perform tasks. Both humans and chimpanzees seem to be affected by the presence of an audience, and this discovery adds to our understanding of animal behaviour. It also suggests that the way we behave in front of others may not be unique to humans but might be a common trait shared with our closest animal relatives.

Vocabulary List:

1. Chimpanzee (noun) –  A type of ape that is closely related to humans.
   • Example: Chimpanzees are very intelligent animals.
2. Task (noun) –  A job or activity that needs to be done.
   • Example: A new manager was given the task of developing the club's talent
3. Audience (noun) –  A group of people who watch or listen to something.
   • Example: He asked for questions from members of the audience.
4. Touchscreen (noun) –  The chimpanzees completed tasks on a touchscreen.
   • Example: The workers were given tasks to complete on a touchscreen.
5. Performance (noun) –  The action or process of performing a task or function.
   • Example: The chimpanzees’ performance improved when they were watched by more people.
6. Observe (verb) –  notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant.
   • Example: She observed that all the chairs were already occupied
7. Concentrate (verb) –  The ability to focus on a task or activity.
   • Example: The chimpanzees had to concentrate while doing the touchscreen tasks.
8. Reputation (noun) –  What people think about someone based on their actions or behaviour.
   • Example: In human societies, reputation is very important, and people care about how they are seen by others.
9. Species (noun) –  A group of animals or plants that are similar and can reproduce with each other.
   • Example: Chimpanzees and humans are different species, but they share many similar traits.
10. Influence (noun) –  The effect that something or someone has on someone or something else.
    • Example: The presence of people can influence how chimpanzees behave.

Discussion Questions and Topics:

1. Why do you think chimpanzees perform better on difficult tasks when watched by an audience?
   • Do you think the chimpanzees feel more pressure or motivation when they know others are watching?
   • How might this be similar to how humans behave at work or in school?
2. What might explain why chimpanzees perform worse on easy tasks when more people are watching them?
   • Could the presence of an audience make the task feel more complicated, even if it's easy?
   • How might the difficulty of a task affect someone's focus or stress levels?
3. How does the "audience effect" in chimpanzees compare to humans?
   • Do you think humans also perform differently when they know others are watching? Why or why not?
   • Can you think of situations where you behave differently when someone is watching you?
4. What does this study tell us about the similarities between humans and chimpanzees?
   • Do you think chimpanzees have more complex thoughts and feelings than we might have thought?
   • How might this study change the way we understand animal intelligence and social behaviours?
5. What is your favourite animal, and why?
6. Have you ever felt more motivated to perform well when you knew someone was watching you?
7. Do you think animals, like chimpanzees, can understand when they are being watched?
   • Why or why not?
8. Do you think people behave differently when they are alone compared to when they are in a group?
   • How so?