Apes can distinguish between true and false beliefs in others, study suggests

Apes can tell whether a person has an accurate belief about a situation, showing the same level of understanding as human infants, research shows

Apes are on a par with human infants in being able to tell when people have an accurate belief about a situation or are actually mistaken, researchers say.

While previous work has shown that great apes understand the goals, desires and perceptions of others, scientists say the latest finding reveals an important cognitive ability.