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Chimpanzee Numerical Competence: Cardinal and Ordinal Skills

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Primate Origins of Human Cognition and Behavior

Abstract

Imagine two 22-year-olds side by side: Candidate A and Candidate B. Both can label collections of up to at least nine objects with the corresponding number; both use symbols to represent these numbers; both can arrange their symbols in ascending order to indicate the sequence in which they denote increasing quantities. However, Candidate A is incapable of representing ‘absence’ or ‘nothing’ symbolically, and is hence incapable of higher mathematics. Candidate B has a symbol for ‘zero’ and can use it in the ordinal as well as the cardinal sense. Candidate A is a citizen of Ancient Rome. Candidate B is a chimpanzee.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Behaviour Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, 0X1 3PS, UK

    Dora Biro

  2. Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

    Tetsuro Matsuzawa

Authors
  1. Dora Biro
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  2. Tetsuro Matsuzawa
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

    Tetsuro Matsuzawa (Professor, Director) (Professor, Director)

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Biro, D., Matsuzawa, T. (2008). Chimpanzee Numerical Competence: Cardinal and Ordinal Skills. In: Matsuzawa, T. (eds) Primate Origins of Human Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-09423-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-09423-4_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-09422-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-09423-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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