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Risk-taking in young chimps and teens is similar

Teenagers are well known for doing crazy things. It seems that once a child becomes a teen, they take a lot more risks. Some of these are dangerous and lead to injury, or worse. A new study of young chimpanzees may explain risky behaviour in children. The study is from researchers at the University of Michigan in the USA. They studied over 100 wild chimpanzees in a national park in Uganda. The chimps ranged in age from 2 to 65 years. The researchers looked at how the animals swung through trees. The youngest chimps seemed to do more dangerous things, like letting go of branches and letting themselves fall. Older chimps took fewer risks and made sure they gripped branches firmly.

Lead researcher and anthropologist Laura MacLatchy suggested why children and young chimpanzees take more risks. She believes it is because they are at an age when parents supervise them less. Parents and carers often stop very young children from doing things that might cause injuries. However, young teens have more freedom and want to try new and risky things. Professor MacLatchy said the risk-taking was the same for male and female chimps and humans. The website ScienceAlert said that "some anthropologists argue for increasing children's access to thrill-seeking play, including the old-fashioned monkey bars, as a way to help them develop motor skills and skeletal strength".

 

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Chat

Talk about these words from the article.

teenagers / crazy things / child / injury / chimpanzee / national park / animals / risks / anthropologist / supervise / parents / freedom / thrill seeking / play / old-fashioned 

 

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True / False

1) The article says all teenagers do very crazy things.  T / F

2) Young children take more risks than teenagers.  T / F

3) Researchers studied more than 100 chimps in Uganda.  T / F

4) Researchers said older chimps were more likely to let go of branches.  T / F

5) A researcher said chimpanzee behaviour helps explain teen behaviour.  T / F

6) Teenagers take more risks because their parents aren't around.  T / F

7) A researcher said male chimps took more risks than female chimps.  T / F

8) The researcher hoped more children would play on monkey bars.  T / F 

 

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Discussion

1) What crazy things did you do when you were a teenager?

2) What crazy things do very old people do?

3) How much of a risk-taker are you?

4) What are the good and bad things about taking risks?

5) Does chimpanzee behaviour explain human  behaviour?

6) Why do we take fewer risks as we get older?

7) Are smartphones making children take fewer risks today?

8) What's the biggest risk you've ever taken?