In behavioral ecology, researchers have long debated whether non-human animals exhibit cognitive biases similar to human loss aversion—the tendency to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains. Some evolutionary models suggest that under resource-scarce conditions, prioritizing risk mitigation is highly adaptive, predicting that animals should show strong aversion to perceived losses. To test this hypothesis, biologist Dr. Kenji Tanaka and his team designed an experiment in which capuchin monkeys (*Cebus apella*) chose between a guaranteed food reward and a risky option with a fluctuating payoff. The monkeys consistently preferred the guaranteed rewards, even when the expected value of the risky option was mathematically superior. This finding suggests that cognitive heuristics minimizing loss are deeply rooted in evolutionary history rather than being unique products of human cultural or economic systems.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
- AIt introduces the central scientific debate that the rest of the passage attempts to resolve.
- BIt details the mathematical calculations used by the researchers to compare the values of the foraging options.
- It describes the methodology of an empirical study designed to evaluate the evolutionary hypothesis introduced earlier in the passage.Cevap
- DIt summarizes the primary conclusion of the passage regarding the evolutionary origins of cognitive biases.