Chimpanzees are reportedly better at a computer strategy game than humans, according to a new study.
Chimps from the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute consistently outperformed humans in a digital version of hide-and-seek called the "inspection game," according to the study from Caltech.
The chimps were able to quickly learn how to play the game and were able to predict what their opponents would do next, researchers said.
"It seems like they're keeping better track of their opponents' previous choices," lead author Colin Camerer said to the Los Angeles Times. "You can see, compared to the human subjects, they're just more responsive. They're keeping better 'minds' on what their opponents are doing."
The inspection game was created from game theory, which is a study of strategic interactions. Both players sat back to back and were given the option of selecting one of two blue squares on a screen.
One player, the "matcher," was rewarded for selecting the same square as their opponent, while the other player, the "mismatcher," was rewarding for choosing the opposite square.
The chimps always competed against chimps while humans competed against humans in the study.
The game was repeated 200 times, according to USA Today. Each time the chimps were rewarded with a chunk of apple when they won and humans were presented with a small coin. The researchers then compared the performance of the two species.
Humans learned to predict their opponent's choices slowly, but did not play optimally, researchers noted. In comparison, the chimps learned quickly and matched the level of optimal play for game theory.
The game was created by mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr.
"Chimps are really good at adjusting and gaining a competitive edge if there is a little bit of a slip by their opponent, until generally they are both balanced," Camerer said to USA TODAY
Six chimps participated in the study, according to USA Today.
Their results were compared to a group of 16 Japanese men, and then to a group of 12 men from Bossou, Guinea.
Both groups of humans performed at similar levels but were not able to match the performance of the chimps, according to the study.
Researchers believe that the chimps might have performed better since they have good short-term memories and because language was not a major factor in the game.
"We're better at a lot more complicated situations where language is often useful," Camerer said.
Another theory is that chimps play the game on a simple level, while humans overthink the game.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports recently.
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