Researchers tested four groups—a mix of rhesus macaques, olive baboons, U.S. preschoolers, and Indigenous Tsimané adults from Bolivia—using a touchscreen shape-matching task to assess perception and discrimination of geometric shapes.

The study indicates some monkeys process geometric relationships in ways similar to humans, pointing to shared perceptual codes rather than a clear divide between species.

CMU researchers led the project with Rochester Institute of Technology, and the data, code, and videos are openly accessible.

Editorial notes from Neuroscience News accompany the open-access PNAS article, which includes a detailed abstract supporting the findings.

The study references locations such as CMU and Bolivia, and notes the work is forthcoming in PNAS.

PNAS publication incorporates data from multiple populations to contrast informal versus formal geometry education and developmental stages.

The study highlights an exceptionally engaged baboon named Kalamata, who spent hours on geometric tasks after the experimenter activated the computer.

A new study in PNAS shows that geometric reasoning runs across humans and nonhuman primates, suggesting geometric intuition is an evolutionarily ancient cognitive feature, not solely a result of formal education.

To contextualize results across species and cultures, the same tasks were administered to preschoolers, American adults, and about 80 Bolivian Tsimané adults, helping to separate developmental from educational factors.

The participant group included dozens of American preschoolers, 21 American adults, and 79 Tsimané adults, enabling comparisons of developmental and cultural influences.

The Primate Portal at Seneca Park Zoo supported open-access data collection and cognitive tasks for baboons, linking research with K-12 STEM programs.

Cantlon’s lab and the Primate Portal aim to integrate animal cognition studies with classroom learning and broader STEM engagement.