Intelligent Ravens Surprisingly Outshine Human Intelligence in One Area
In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Science this week, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered that ravens possess impressive planning skills, placing them on par with humans and some great apes. The study, conducted by Mathias Osvath and his team, involved a series of experiments with captive ravens to test their ability to plan for an unseen future.
The research revealed that ravens are more patient than humans when it comes to devaluing things that take place in the future. Unlike humans, who often devalue future rewards, ravens seem to be more adept at delaying gratification. This was evident in the experiments where ravens were given the choice between an inferior immediate food reward and a token for their favourite kibble they could trade later. Ravens selected the token over 70% of the time, demonstrating their ability to plan ahead.
The researchers also tested the ravens' bartering skills, and they passed with flying colours, achieving success over 90% of the time. In another planning task, the ravens were able to select the correct tool and perform the task to get their treat about 80% of the time with a 1-hour delay, and nearly 90% of the time with a 17-hour delay.
Interestingly, ravens were found to be better at solving two planning tasks than great apes and four-year-old children presented with similar problems, according to Alex Taylor, an animal cognition expert at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. However, the results of the experiments are open to interpretation, and it's possible that ravens may be outsmarting the experiment by choosing the object that has been associated with food the most, according to Taylor.
Despite these findings, it's important to note that the study did not involve testing ravens in their natural habitat, and it remains to be seen how these findings apply to wild ravens. Future experiments should be able to discern exactly how clever ravens are.
These findings show that humans might not be as special as we thought when it comes to planning for the future. The study suggests that ravens are as good as humans at pre-planning tasks, challenging our long-held belief in human supremacy. This research not only sheds light on the cognitive abilities of ravens but also opens up new avenues for understanding the evolution of cognition in animals.
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