Study finds monkeys recognise shapes in ways surprisingly similar to humans

A study published in PNAS found that monkeys and humans process geometric shapes using similar mental representations, not entirely different abilities.

The research compared monkeys, preschool children, and adults on shape-matching tasks, including rotated versions to test abstract reasoning.

Monkeys used higher-level geometric representations rather than relying solely on simple visual appearance, contrary to earlier beliefs.

Adult humans performed with greater precision, but the overall pattern indicated shared cognitive mechanisms rather than separate systems.

The findings suggest geometric intuition evolved long before modern humans, building upon primate foundations.