|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
Non-Human Intelligence Monkeys Can Subtract, Study Finds Christine Dell'Amore in Chicago National Geographic News February 18, 2009 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090218-monkeys-subtract.html - - - Excerpts: Add this to the growing list of reasons humans aren't so special, after all: Monkeys can subtract. The discovery marks the first time a nonhuman species has been seen having "widespread suc- cess" with subtraction, scientists announced last Thursday. Rhesus macaques placed in front of touch screens in a Duke University laboratory were able to sub- tract dots-not by counting them individually but by using a more instantaneous ability researchers call number sense. In each session a monkey was presented with a number of dots. Next, a large square would hide all the dots. Then some of the dots would glide off the screen from "behind" the shape. Only the big square, with the remaining dots "hid- den" behind it, would be left on screen, as seen in this two-second video: [see article for video] Finally, decision time: Two groups of dots would appear on screen-one of them the correct number of remaining dots-and the monkey would indicate its answer to the math problem by touching one of the groups (see picture of monkey making selec- tion). http://tinyurl.com/monkeyssubtractbigjpg Each correct answer was worth a serving of Kool-Aid. (Related: "Lemur Logic May Provide Clues to Primate Intellect Evolution.") http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0604_040604_lemurs.html Monkeys Subtract as Well as College Students? In the vast majority of trials, the monkeys chose the right answer without counting, said psychologist Jessica Cantlon, who co-led the studies at Duke. In fact, college students used as controls in the study had the same success rate as the macaques-each group choosing the correct answer in as little as a second ... A 2007 study co-authored by Cantlon proved mon- keys' success with addition-again on par with col- lege students performing the same tasks. Wild Subtraction Animals' knack for numbers can boost survival in the wild, Cantlon told National Geographic News. For instance, research has shown that apes can determine at a glance roughly how much food is present in an area and decide whether to stay and eat or to move on, she said. On the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, "these studies suggest we humans should keep our egos in check," said Edward Wasserman, an exper- imental psychologist at the University of Iowa. "We are certainly not the only intelligent animals on Earth." - - - VIDEO: Chimp Memory Beats Humans' Watch young chimpanzees beat Japanese college students in a short-term-memory test by a wide margin-raising questions about primate intelligence and evolution. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080509-memory-video-ap.html - - - - - - end excerpts - - - - - - Some other articles of interest regarding non- human intelligence: - - - July 3, 2003 Deep thinkers The more we study dolphins, the brighter they turn out to be. by Anuschka de Rohan http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2003/jul/03/research.science - - - - - - June 6, 2006 Crows Have Human-Like Intelligence, Author Says by John Roach for National Geographic News http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060606-crows.html - - - - - - Aug 14th 2008 Primate intelligence Out of the mist From The Economist print edition Is Rollie an exception, or are all gorillas as clever? http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11919352 - - - - - - Primate Intelligence http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569210_2/Primate.html#s5 Primate Communication http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569210_2/Primate.html#s10 The Origins of Primates http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569210_2/Primate.html#s6 Humans and Other Primates http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569210_2/Primate.html#s8 - - - - - - June 05, 2008 Elephant Intelligence: Why Elephants Might Be as Smart as Humans by Esther November http://tinyurl.com/AreElephantsasSmartasHumans - - - - - - Elephant Intelligence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_intelligence - - - - - - October 8, 2008 The Intelligence of Animals http://www.thenationalelephantcenter.org/en/art/?16 - - - - - - July 21, 2006. 3:07pm (AEST) Parrots 'as intelligent' as young children by Kirsten Veness for The World Today http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1693309.htm - - - |
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
