生物谷报道：大多数孩子都习惯于这样的心理游戏：当被要求为了允诺的款待——例如观看1小时电视——而耐心等待时，这些孩子往往会用一个玩具或一本书转移自己的注意力。研究人员如今发现，黑猩猩也具有类似的注意力自我分散行为。这一结果使人与其他灵长类动物之间的认知与行为边界变得愈发模糊不清。
这一发现来自美国亚特兰大市佐治亚州立大学完成的一项研究。心理学家Theodore Evans和Michael Beran分别将4只黑猩猩置于一个与糖果自动售货机相连的容器前。这些灵长类动物能够在任何时间接近这个容器，并吃掉其中堆积的糖果，然而一旦黑猩猩开始享用糖果，自动售货机便不再补给任何新的糖果。这就使得黑猩猩尽可能地拖延它们获得奖赏的时间，从而使自己能够吃到更多的糖果。
在另一项试验中，这些黑猩猩被安排在类似的场景中，这次，研究人员还为它们提供了玩具。像坐立不安的孩子一样，在这种情况下，黑猩猩通过将注意力转移到玩具上，能够坚持更长的时间。研究小组在日前的《生物学快报》网络版上报告了这一研究成果。为了确定玩玩具是否真的分散了黑猩猩的注意力，研究人员为黑猩猩设计了另外一种场景——它们能够看到盛满糖果的容器，但却不能接近后者。与无法触碰容器相比，在能够接触容器的情况下，大多数的黑猩猩都会花更多的时间玩玩具，这意味着它们的游戏是一种权衡的策略，为的是控制自己吃糖果的冲动。
佐治亚州亚特兰大市恩莫利大学的灵长类动物学家Frans de Waal表示，这项研究填补了人类与其他物种之间的又一个“心理缺口”，同时为令人印象深刻的动物认知技能增加了新的内容，例如使用工具以及计划未来。他指出：“对于人类而言，我们会将这种行为视为一种与诱惑有关的自我意识，即除非你转移自己的注意力，否则你将坠入其中。”
作者表示，这项研究同时说明动物的自我意识比科学家之前认识的要复杂得多。Evans说：“它让我们思考，对于黑猩猩和其他动物的心理活动到底有多少了解。”他指出：“黑猩猩能够意识到它们正在被糖果诱惑吗？与此类似，人类是否意识到诱惑他们的往往是一些多余的商品呢？”（科学时报）
原始出处:
Biology Letters
Researchers have found that chimps know how to distract themselves with play in order to ward off temptation.
Chimpanzees use self-distraction to cope with impulsivity
Theodore A. Evans1, Michael J. Beran1
1Language Research Center, Georgia State University, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
摘要
It is unknown whether animals, like humans, can employ behavioural strategies to cope with impulsivity. To examine this question, we tested whether chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) would use self-distraction as a coping strategy in a situation in which they had to continually inhibit responses to accumulating candies in order to earn a greater amount of those rewards. We tested animals in three conditions in which they were sometimes given a set of toys and were sometimes allowed physical access to the accumulating candies. Chimpanzees allowed the rewards to accumulate longer before responding when they could divert their attention to the toys, and they manipulated the toys more when the candies were physically accessible. Thus, chimpanzees engaged in self-distraction with the toys when such behaviour was most beneficial as a coping mechanism.
Keywords
self-distraction, self-control, impulsivity, chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes
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