The origin of human trust: new project at Osnabrück University

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The behavior of chimpanzees is very similar to that of humans. | Quelle: Tobias Deschner | Copyright: Tobias Deschner | Download

Trust is essential for building and maintaining social and cooperative relationships. "However, little is known about the origin and evolutionary development of human trust," says Prof. Dr. Simone Pika from the Institute of Cognitive Science. "The few existing studies are contradictory." Prof. Pika's research team now wants to get to the bottom of this empirically: By studying one of humans' closest living relatives, the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes).

The aim of the long-term, systematic research project is to collect and evaluate quantitative data on trust in the social interactions of chimpanzees in Loango National Park in Gabon. "Chimpanzees and humans have a common ancestor and are not only genetically very similar: due to the close relationship, we can use the behavior of chimpanzees to draw conclusions about the origin of human behavior," says Pika. In Loango National Park, it will be possible to investigate in the wild whether and in what form trust plays a role in great apes and what influence social interactions have on trust - such as the sharing of food or support in conflicts.

In addition, the scientific interest in empirical research on trust and its evolution is to be strengthened and expanded. The aim is to establish a broader scientific network both at Osnabrück University and with national and international researchers. The Sievert Foundation for Science and Culture is providing around € 104,000 for the research project until March 2029.

Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Dr. Simone Pika, Osnabrück University
Institute of Cognitive Science
E-mail: spika@uos.de