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Gaming monkeys' curiosity: Japanese macaques actively explore moderately uncertain stimuli

Phys · · 544 words · By Kyoto University

Researchers at Kyoto University's EHUB developed a touchscreen-based video game to study curiosity in Japanese macaques. The study found that the monkeys preferred stimuli with moderate uncertainty, mirroring a 'Goldilocks principle' observed in humans, and engaged with the task without extrinsic rewards.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gaming-monkeys-curiosity-japanese-macaques.html

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0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 7
check_circle Corroborated 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“Recent research supports a "Goldilocks principle," in which curiosity is biased toward moderately complex or uncertain stimuli while avoiding overly simple or convoluted situations.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is explicitly supported by 'BrightSurf Science News' and a PDF on behavioral biology regarding the 'Goldilocks effect' in attention/curiosity.
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web search NEUTRAL — Goldilocks pricing, also known as good–better–best pricing, is a marketing strategy that uses product differentiation to offer three versions of a product to corner different parts of the market: a hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldilocks_principle
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web search NEUTRAL — Still, certain stimuli tend to spark curiosity more than others. Recent research supports a Goldilocks principle , in which curiosity is biased toward moderately complex or uncertain stimuli while avo…
https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1ZZYZ7Y1/gaming-monkeys-curi…
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web search NEUTRAL — ethological definition of curiosity as a drive state for information will be used here, as it was in. Kidd & Hayden’s (2015) analysis of curiosity from the ethological paradigm.The Goldilocks effect: …
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353935731_Curiosity…
info
“A team of researchers at Kyoto University's Institute for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, EHUB, wondered if a new sort of method might be useful in addressing curiosity in monkeys.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the provided evidence for claim 1 contains general definitions of researchers and unrelated Wikipedia entries for universities, it does not provide a second independent source confirming the specific study by EHUB at Kyoto University. However, the context of the overall article (seen in other claims) suggests this is the primary source of the information.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI (総合研究大学院大学, Sōgō kenkyū daigakuin daigaku) is one of the national universities of Japan, headquartered in Shonan Village in the town of Hayama in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graduate_University_for_Ad…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The cognitive tradeoff hypothesis argues that in the cognitive evolution of humans, there was an evolutionary tradeoff between short-term working memory and complex language skills. Specifically, earl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_tradeoff_hypothesis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kyushu University (九州大学, Kyūshū Daigaku), abbreviated to Kyudai (九大, Kyūdai), is a public research university located in Fukuoka, Japan, on the island of Kyushu. Founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyushu_University
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The paper is published in the journal iScience.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 2 lists other journals (Psychological Science, JAMA, Science) but does not provide a second independent source confirming the iScience publication for this specific study.
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web search NEUTRAL — A 2014 study in the journal Psychological Science.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/095679761452458…
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web search NEUTRAL — new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle…
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web search NEUTRAL — Scientists have long studied macaques to learn things about ourselves. The Rh factor in blood types is short for Rhesus factor, discovered in rhesus macaques.The macaque genome team has published thre…
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/meet-the-…
info
“The team investigated what kind of stimuli would elicit the curiosity of resident Japanese macaques at EHUB, and developed a touchscreen-based game task inspired by hide-and-seek.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 3 consists of general definitions of researchers and unrelated Wikipedia entries. No independent source corroborates the specific hide-and-seek game for macaques.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google Docs is an online word processor and part of the free, web-based Google Docs Editors suite offered by Google. Google Docs is accessible via a web browser as a web-based application and is also …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Docs
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa; German: Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt, French: Laboratoire fédéral d’essai des matériaux et de reche…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Federal_Laboratories_for…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 15, 2025 · Researcher work helps organizations remain competitive by developing new services or products, predicting trends or solving problems. Working as a researcher can be intellectually stimu…
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/researche…
+ 2 more evidence sources
info
“In this game, when a monkey presses a button on the touchscreen, a puppet appears at a different location on the screen, depending on the button.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about the puppet appearing on a touchscreen based on button presses is explicitly mentioned in 'BrightSurf Science News', but no other independent source confirms this specific experimental setup.
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web search NEUTRAL — In this game, when a monkey presses a button on the touchscreen, a puppet appears at a different location on the screen, depending on the button.
https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1ZZYZ7Y1/gaming-monkeys-curi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn how to make a silly sock puppet with basic materials and without the need for sewing or toxic glues.Want to get more into puppet-making?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym13GbygiSM
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web search NEUTRAL — You can use the unstuck option to make the puppet appear, or use other hacks. You won’t find the Cheese anomaly in your inventory after this.
https://thegameswatch.com/guides/nte-how-to-get-another-chee…
info
“The puppet appearances also correspond to different levels of spatial noise, with puppets appearing in a less predictable location the higher the noise level.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 5 is entirely irrelevant, discussing an e-commerce platform called 'eHub' rather than the research institute EHUB.
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web search NEUTRAL — From routing intelligence to unified execution, eHub brings structure to every layer of fulfillment—integrating systems, connecting teams, and capturing savings where others can’t.
https://ehub.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Log in to your eHub account and manage your shipping and delivery needs with ease. Access our user-friendly platform at app.ehub.com and simplify your logistics today.
https://app.ehub.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Log in to your eHub account and manage your shipping needs with ease. Access your account dashboard, view order history, track shipments, and more. Sign in now at app.ehub.com/login.
https://app.ehub.com/login
info
“The results revealed that the monkeys tended to choose the medium noise button, which made the puppet appear in a location that was somewhat predictable but still moderately uncertain.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 6 discusses general Japanese macaque behavior and unrelated medical studies, but does not corroborate the specific finding regarding medium noise preference.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Japanese macaque is diurnal. In colder areas, from autumn to early winter, macaques feed in between different activities. In the winter, macaques have two to four feeding bouts each day, with fewe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_macaque
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web search NEUTRAL — study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases on September 1.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3…
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web search NEUTRAL — In Japanese macaques, records of individual behavior and regional differences have been accumulated by long-term observations and are suitable for the analysis of an inherited factor in the background…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321612377_The_Japan…
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“some monkeys worked on this game for nearly 100 trials even without any reward.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 7 discusses general macaque behavior and snow play, but does not mention the 100-trial touchscreen game without rewards.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, this macaque is referred to as the "snow monkey",…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_macaque
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web search NEUTRAL — Did you know Japanese Macaques play with snowballs for fun?!Some scientists believe that the snow monkeys’ love of playing with snowballs as a form of social play. It is thought that by playing with s…
https://danspetcare.com/japanese-macaques-play-with-snowball…
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web search NEUTRAL — Japanese macaques, more descriptively known as Japanese snow macaques and simply referred to as snow monkeys, inhabit three of Japan’s four main islands: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu (they do not occur…
https://neprimateconservancy.org/japanese-macaque/
help
“Sakumi Iki et al, Intrinsic recreation of moderately uncertain events in macaques, iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115820”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific paper title, authors, year (2026), or DOI.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.