animal intelligence Flashcards
man the hunter
belief that early humans’ ability to hunt in groups was special
man the tool user
belief that early humans’ ability to make tools and manipulate the environment made us special
man the communicator
belief that early humans’ ability to use language and understand symbols made us special
sultan the chimp
sultan realized he could stack boxes to get banana; did not rely on trial and error or being trained on what to do
what makes animals intelligent?
- big brain size to body size
- strategies to find food
- being social
what makes animals smarter than others?
intelligence in animals influenced by diet; the more nutritious, the harder to obtain, the smarter you have to be
what makes animals smarter than others?
social animals are typically more intelligent than non-social animals
what can dogs understand that chimps can’t
understand pointing, make eye contact, interact with humans
chaser the dog
a border collie that can identify 1000 different objects by name
why are crows so smart?
- big brain to body ratio
- long life span (20-30 yrs)
- foraging strategies
- social
- play–>discovery
- emotional learning
- song birds
examples of problem solving abilities of birds
- Create, manipulate, and use tools
- Can solve problems through reasoning
- Understand water displacement
- Can understand levers and pulleys
- Can learn by observing others
what makes humans unique?
- self concepts
- self conscious emotions
- conversational language
- complex thought and abstract reasoning
- executive function
Are there things that animals can do that humans can’t?
animas have specific mental abilities that humans lack
Results of the “marshmallow test” (children vs apes)
children who perform well on the marshmallow test and other tests of delayed gratification tend to also perform well on tests of general intelligence; same in chimpanzees
