Reaction to Stimulus Figures in Chimpanzee Drawings

Seven captive chimpanzees (<em>Pan troglodytes</em>) produced drawings at the University of Oklahoma between November 1971 and November 1972. Chimpanzees drew on sheets of paper that were either blank or had a stimulus. The stimulus was located in the center or offset from the center. These drawings were scanned and digitized. Analysis tested whether chimpanzee mark placement was contingent on the location of stimulus figures. Centroid locations significantly changed between stimulus type for all drawing categories and among participants for free choice and central figure drawings. Participants drew in the empty space opposite offset figure drawings. Findings support previous studies that chimpanzee drawings show systematic patterns that vary between individuals. These findings have implications for motor play, aesthetics, and the ontogeny and phylogeny of art.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Primate Behavior

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Casti, Alexandra Bobrinskoy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mary Lee Jensvold
• Kathleen Barlow
• Mark Auslander

• evolution of art
• nonhuman drawing
• chimpanzee art
• stimulus figures
• chimpanzee
• Animal Studies
• Biological and Physical Anthropology
• Other Anthropology
• Zoology

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/598

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.cwu.edu:etd-1597