Humans’ closest animal relatives, chimpanzees, have the
ability to “think about thinking” – what is called “metacognition,” according
to new research by scientists at Georgia State University and the University at
Buffalo.
Michael J. Beran and Bonnie M. Perdue of the Georgia State
Language Research Center (LRC) and J. David Smith of the University at Buffalo
conducted the research, published in the journal Psychological Science of the
Association for Psychological Science.
“The demonstration of metacognition in nonhuman primates has
important implications regarding the emergence of self-reflective mind during
humans’ cognitive evolution,” the research team noted.