Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Fall 2016
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Primate Behavior
Committee Chair
Mary Lee Jensvold
Second Committee Member
Kathleen Barlow
Third Committee Member
Mark Auslander
Abstract
Seven captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) 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.
Recommended Citation
Casti, Alexandra Bobrinskoy, "Reaction to Stimulus Figures in Chimpanzee Drawings" (2016). All Master's Theses. 598.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/598
Language
English
Included in
Animal Studies Commons, Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Other Anthropology Commons, Zoology Commons