Behaviorism Of Humans And Nonhuman Primates - 1878 Words

Behaviorism of Humans and Nonhuman Primates Nonhuman primates are social and affiliative animals and strong social bonds are fundamental to their lives. The same can be said for humankind. About five million years ago, chimps and humans were part of the same homididite family. Today, humans are still classified as primates. Humans share many behaviors that are similar to that of their nonhuman primate relatives. The two are very closely related and share so much DNA, over 98%. Since they are so closely related, it is a valid idea that nonhuman primates may be living in a similar way today to that of our ancestors of the past. The diets and habitats of nonhuman primates are similar to those of human predecessors. Humans and nonhuman†¦show more content†¦Tool-use has been observed in both humans and several kinds of nonhuman primates. Chimpanzees use and modify natural objects to obtain food and hunt similar to early humans of the past using tools for hunting . Beck Goodall described primate tool use as â€Å"...the external employment of an unattached environmental object to alter more efficiently the form, position, or condition of another object, another organism, or the user itself when the user holds or carries the tool during or just prior to use and is responsible for the proper and effective orientation of the tool.†(Beck, 1980) In the November issue of the American Naturalist, the authors described, â€Å"chimps used either short or long puncturing sticks to break through to the nests and then stuck fishing probes into the hole for termites to crawl onto. They can also be seen placing a foot on the stick to push it into the ground like a shovel. And a female chimp can be seen pulling a stick through her teeth, says Sanz, intentionally shredding the end to make it like a brush, which picks up more termites.† (Holden) Nonhuman primates tool use is still in a more basic stage like that of early hominins or humans, while humans ha ve evolved to create more