2019 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Cognitive and physiological responses to disgust elicitors in chimpanzees
| Project/Area Number |
19F19088
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SARABIAN CECILE 京都大学, 霊長類研究所, 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-10-11 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | primatology / comparative cognition / disgust / parasite avoidance / fear / chimpanzee |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This project began in late September FY2019, so the achievements are based on half a year of start up research. The main goal of this period was to set up experiments to study the cognitive and physiological responses to disgust elicitors in chimpanzees at Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute. The JSPS fellow received training certificates in chimpanzee experimentation, and applied for relevant research permits to conduct the research. That was followed by chimpanzee habituation to the experiments and experimenter, honing of protocols, and preparation of tools and equipment to begin the experiments. All of these were attained and the research is set to begin in FY2020. In addition, the fellow continued to build international collaborations related to the current JSPS research, to develop a framework for using disgust as a potential tool to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and enforce better ecotourism practices. The fellow also published a paper from previous related work, and presented at some international conferences.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned.
Reason
this was the first half-year of the project. There were some developing issues surrounding the spread of the novel coronavirus that may affect future development of the project, but for now, research is on track as scheduled.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The main activities for FY2020 will be to continue behavioral and physiological experiments, analyze data and write paper(s) for publication. At the same time, collaborative projects related to this research will be set up for conservation applications with great apes and elephants. Moreover, the fellow hopes this work will be showcased at the ‘Disgusting Food Museum’ in Sweden. The fellow will also participate in two international conferences to (1) present the results of this study; and (2) propose human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies based on the adaptive system of disgust to conservation stakeholders. Major costs will include experimental items, international travel for collaboration and conferences (pending COVID-19), publication fees and remuneration for research assistance.
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