Many nonhuman primates in captivity are very keen on exploring objects in their environment. However, few studies have investigated if nonhuman primates gain information in a non-rewarded situation that can later be used once conditions change. Active testing of the effects that an object can have on another may be especially important in enhancing problem-solving abilities in future situations. In this study, four great ape species were confronted with the collapsible platform task (Bird & Emery 2009, von Bayern et al. 2009). This task required subjects to drop a stone inside a tube to collapse a platform that released a reward. Subjects received four successive sessions with the baited apparatus and four with an empty apparatus counterbalanced for order of presentation across subjects. Seventy-six percent of the apes solved the task. Apes which had pre-experience with the empty condition were faster in the baited condition than apes without this pre-experience. This study suggests that apes exposed to an empty apparatus prior to the test gain information that is later used to solve problems in a more efficient manner.