Dataset for COMMSBIO-26-2604-T

Chimpanzees sometimes use tools with invisible causal links between tool actions and effects, such as in termite fishing targeting prey from fully opaque substrates. It remains largely unclear how individual or social learning intersect with sensory feedback cues involved in these process to contribute to the acquisition of such complex behaviors. This study examines how visual feedback supports chimpanzees in learning a tool-use task with an opaque causal mechanism triggered by inserting and holding a stick in a small hole. We tested naïve chimpanzees in a sequential design: Baseline condition (no model), model conditions without (Opaque) and with LED feedback (Visible). Observing a model increased exploration and stick insertion. When visual feedback was available, insertion durations were longer, though full success was not achieved. Results may suggest a two-phase learning process: an initial socially facilitated phase followed by a phase of visually guided individual engagement. Still, neither enabled an understanding of the hidden causal structure, potentially highlighting the role of comprehensible feedback in scaffolding great apes’ social learning.