Contrary to popular belief, apes and humans have nearly identical sensory capabilities. Scientists believe that humans, gorillas and chimpanzees see, smell, hear and touch with roughly the same acuity. What scientists don’t know, however, is how apes perceive the information that their senses provide. Steve Ross, supervisor of behavioral and cognitive research at Lincoln Park Zoo, thinks that teaching the zoo’s chimpanzees and gorillas tasks such as sequencing the numbers “1” and “2” on a computer screen may be a first step towards finding an answer.

The touch-screen research being conducted in the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes is in its infancy, but Ross, whose work is supported by the Leo S. Guthman Fund, believes it has the potential to provide a window into ape cognition. The ultimate goal isn’t for the participants to master sequencing, but for the apes to realize that the touch-screen interface is a tool they can use to make choices.

Once the apes come to this realization, Ross says, “The world really opens up for us. Then we can ask them all sorts of questions about what they prefer or whether one object is different from another.” In the future, the apes could theoretically use the touch-screen to indicate preferences in their food (apple or banana) or habitat (big or small bark chips on the floor), enabling keepers to modify exhibits to better fit the apes’ needs.

The sequencing exercises being performed by Vicky, a 40-year-old chimpanzee, and Rollie, a 10-year-old gorilla, are only part of the touch-screen cognitive research taking place at Lincoln Park Zoo, the only zoo in the country conducting such studies. Keo, a 48-year-old chimpanzee, is participating as well; his exercises involve matching identical photographs. All research sessions are conducted in collaboration with the zoo’s Collections Department and are strictly voluntary. As Ross explains, “If at any time during the session the animals seem uncomfortable or agitated, we just end the session for that day.” This is rarely the case, however. The animals make content vocalizations while at the touch-screen, and zoo staff view the research as a form of mental stimulation, similar to a person working a crossword puzzle.

The sessions begin with a keeper asking the participating animal to enter the cognitive-research station and close the door. Keeper participation is essential; the animals trust the keepers, who perform extensive training to prepare the animals to separate from their group and enter the testing area. The research station, located behind the scenes in the Regenstein Center for African Apes, is a tall cube with transparent walls on three sides and a computer screen constructed of two-inch-thick glass on the fourth. An invisible grid of lasers crosses in front of the touch-screen, and it’s through the interruption of this grid that the computer can determine where the ape has placed its finger. Below the screen is a chute where low-calorie primate treats are dispersed as positive reinforcement for correct answers. Phase I of the research, now complete for Keo, Vicky, and Rollie, entailed training the apes to touch objects on the screen as they appeared. Now, in Phase II, things are a little more complicated.

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