Study finds monkeys recognise shapes in ways surprisingly similar to humans

For decades, one idea has shaped discussions about human intelligence: our ability to recognise geometric patterns was thought to set us apart from other primates. People naturally notice features such as symmetry, parallel sides and right angles, and many researchers have argued that this reflects a uniquely human way of thinking.A new study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, titled “Continuity in geometric intuition between humans and monkeys”, states that the researchers found that both species appear to process geometric shapes using related mental representations. The difference is less about possessing entirely different abilities and more about how strongly those abilities develop. The work suggests that the foundations of geometric intuition may have evolved long before modern humans appeared.How researchers tested geometric intuition in monkeys and humansTo investigate the question, the research team compared the performance of monkeys, preschool children and adults using a shape-matching task. Participants first viewed one geometric figure before choosing which of two options matched it. The experiments includ...