6 Do animals understand other minds?

A substantial body of research has considered the question of whether animals show signs of having a Theory of Mind (ToM). As described earlier in this course, possessing a ToM involves having an understanding that others have mental states, including knowledge, beliefs, desires, goals, and so on. Might animals possess this type of understanding?

Many studies that have considered this question have used chimpanzees − the closest evolutionary relatives of humans, and so perhaps the most likely candidates for possessing ToM abilities (abilities which humans, undisputedly, do possess). In this section of the course you will be introduced to some of these studies, and asked to reflect on what they have allowed psychologists to conclude about ToM in non-human primates.