Book Reviews COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHIMPANZEES. By Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Masaki Tomonaga, and Masayuki Tanaka. Tokyo: Springer. 2006. 522 pp. ISBN 4-431-30246-8. $89.95 (hardcover). This book showcases sociodevelopmental research on chimpanzee cognition, most of it conducted at Kyoto Uni- versity’s Inuyama Primate Research Institute (KUPRI) and at Bossou, Guinea, West Africa. It is a timely follow- up to Matsuzawa’s 2001 edited book on the primate origins of human cognition because it adds comparative developmental studies on three chimpanzee infants born at KUPRI and studies on tools and traditions at Bossou. The book amply demonstrates the value of develop- mental approaches to understanding human cognitive evolution. Development is fundamental because primate cognitive abilities are built during each individual’s lifetime. Life history changes affecting ontogenetic tim- ing may have contributed to the evolutionary changes that generated human intelligence, so milestones in cog- nitive development can offer metrics for species compari- sons. The book comprises 28 chapters relevant to chimpan- zee cognitive development, grouped into five main sec- tions: biobehavioral foundations, sociocommunicative bases, social cognition, conceptual cognition, and tools and culture. Matsuzawa offers a thorough introduction to this group’s research philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of life history and phylogeny and a socio- developmental approach. Equally fundamental is the methodological philosophy that KUPRI has developed to achieve scientific control, ecological validity, and spontaneity. It emphasizes the integration of field and laboratory methods and a commitment to welfare and conservation, so research is conducted on the basis of researcher–chimpanzee partnerships (cooperative researcher–chimpanzee working relationships), partici- pation observation, long-term work with individuals, substantial cognitive enrichment, and field experimenta- tion. Biobehavioral foundation chapters present research on processes (e.g., early infant growth, descent of the lar- ynx) that contribute to cognition while not qualifying as cognitive per se. Findings on fetal behavior illustrate the exceptional possibilities enabled by researcher–chimpan- zee mother partnerships. Chapters on sociocommunica- tive bases emphasize the pivotal role of the mother– infant relationship; studies designed within that context show the development of facial-information processing, joint attention, food sharing, and early social cognition. Social cognition chapters present experimental findings on advanced social cognitive abilities (e.g., imitation, tac- tical deception), some of them heretofore difficult to elicit reliably in experiments. Chapters on conceptual cogni- tion are among the book’s highlights, presenting clever experiments to explore how chimpanzees spontaneously organize their perceptual and conceptual world rather than how they apply their abilities to human-imposed demands. One chapter on the importance of cognitive enrichment for captive chimpanzees is also included. Tool and culture chapters cover studies of tool use, object manipulation, and behavioral traditions. Field experi- ments and observations examine the behavioral struc- ture, use, and acquisition of tool skills and putative tra- ditions to better understand the role of social processes. This work is impressive for data collection that is designed to study cognition, a rare quality in field data. Most chapters offer overviews of previous research to situate detailed reports of the authors’ studies; some integrate their findings with decades of related evidence on KUPRI and Bossou chimpanzees. Major findings have often been published elsewhere but are enriched here with additional material. Broader chapters also offer useful theoretical and empirical reviews (e.g., evolution of the mother–infant relationship, tool-based assessment of cognitive development), while some narrowly focused ones explore little-studied phenomena (e.g., understand- ing shadows, yawning, empathy). Laboratory findings suffer from small samples, but this plagues most captive work and is compensated by long-term systematic data collection on captive and wild individuals. Most material supports the book’s themes well, although relevance to cognition or cognitive development is occasionally pe- ripheral or difficult to discern, and no concluding synthe- sis on chimpanzee cognitive development is provided. Throughout the book, methods and findings take prec- edence over theoretical views. There is, for example, lit- tle reference to major models of cognitive development. This may reflect research guided by questions about how chimpanzees experience the world; it may also underpin the book’s refreshingly well-balanced interpretations, which weigh both similarities and differences between chimpanzees and humans. Contributions also emphasize basic cognitive phenomena over complex ones, compari- sons of chimpanzees to humans (although some extend to macaques or other African great apes and a few include orangutans), laboratory work more than field- work, and experimentation over observation in both set- tings. The overall impression is of a book that is experi- mentalist at heart and exceptionally good because the writers are personally informed by fieldwork. This excellent book’s thorough consideration of devel- opment in great ape cognitive research is greatly needed, and its findings underline how much chimpanzee cogni- tive abilities vary with social, experiential, and age fac- tors. This point remains important because many still lump great ape subjects of different ages and back- grounds on cognitive tests. Among the book’s greatest strengths is its methodology, especially laboratory approaches based on long-term, first-hand knowledge of chimpanzees in the wild, researcher–chimpanzee work- ing partnerships, and commitment to chimpanzee wel- fare as a prerequisite to valid research. Combined with ingenious experimental techniques, this methodology clearly yields rich insights into chimpanzee mentality. This is an important book for researchers, graduate and advanced undergraduate students, conservationists, and professionals working with great apes, especially captives. Despite distracting copy errors, readers will appreciate the engaging writing and the wealth of attractive images that illustrate the text. One student described the book as a page-turner. The book may be too specific in scope for textbook use, but it is an excel- lent reference and guide for those interested in effective and responsible approaches to the study of great ape cog- nition. It is also accessible and relevant to readers from any discipline with an interest in comparative cognition, V V C 2007 WILEY-LISS, INC. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 135:366–370 (2008)