Vol. 21:3 (2020) ► pp.353–386
How apes get into and out of joint actions
Shared intentionality as an interactional achievement
Compared to other animals, humans appear to have a special motivation to share experiences and mental states with others (Clark, 2006; Grice, 1975), which enables them to enter a condition of ‘we’ or shared intentionality (Tomasello & Carpenter, 2005). Shared intentionality has been suggested to be an evolutionary response to unique problems faced in complex joint action coordination (Levinson, 2006; Tomasello, Carpenter, Call, Behne, & Moll, 2005) and to be unique to humans (Tomasello, 2014). The theoretical and empirical bases for this claim, however, present several issues and inconsistencies. Here, we suggest that shared intentionality can be approached as an interactional achievement, and that by studying how our closest relatives, the great apes, coordinate joint action with conspecifics, we might demonstrate some correlate abilities of shared intentionality, such as the appreciation of joint commitment. We provide seven examples from bonobo joint activities to illustrate our framework.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Shared intentionality
- 2.1Defining shared intentionality: Ability vs. process-based approaches
- 2.2Shared intentionality in great apes?
- 2.3Shared intentionality as a collaborative process
- 3.Joint action coordination in humans and its application to great apes
- 4.Joint action coordination in great apes
- 4.1Candidate activities for the study of joint action in great apes
- 4.2Examples of joint action coordination in bonobos
- 4.2.1Example (1): Opening of grooming interaction between two adult males
- 4.2.1.1Pre-entry
- 4.2.1.2Entry
- 4.2.2Example (2): Opening of play interaction between an adult male and an infant male
- 4.2.2.1Entry
- 4.2.3Example (3): Interruption and resumption of grooming (in main body) between an adult female and an adult male
- 4.2.3.1Interruption
- 4.2.4Example (4): Interruption and resumption of grooming (in main body) between an adult female and an adult male
- 4.2.4.1Interruption
- 4.2.5Example (5): Interruption and resumption of grooming (in main body) between an adult female and an adult male
- 4.2.5.1Interruption
- 4.2.6Example (6): Closing of a play interaction between an adult male and an infant male
- 4.2.6.1Exit
- 4.2.7Example (7): Closing of a grooming interaction between two adult females
- 4.2.7.1Exit
- 4.2.1Example (1): Opening of grooming interaction between two adult males
- 5.Discussion
- Acknowledgements
-
References
https://doi.org/10.1075/is.18048.gen