How Smart Are Animals, Really?
Measuring 'intellect' is a difficult task. Check out one way scientists are attempting to make this endeavor more testable. Hosted by: Hank Green SciShow is nominated for a Webby! Vote for...
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We’re always hearing about how smart certain animals are, from octopuses that solve puzzles to birds that use tools. And who among us hasn’t wondered whether our cats are secretly much smarter than our dogs? But animal intelligence is actually really tricky to define -- and even harder to measure. Like are we talking about the ability to innovate? To do arithmetic? To remember hiding places? Or are we talking being able to learn from, or maybe deceive, fellow creatures? Even if scientists can agree on what intelligence actually is, they still need to design tests that measure these abilities objectively. And that is not easy. For one thing, food is usually used to motivate animals in the experiments. But if your subjects aren’t hungry, they won’t ...
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We’re always hearing about how smart certain animals are, from octopuses that solve puzzles to birds that use tools. And who among us hasn’t wondered whether our cats are secretly much smarter than our dogs? But animal intelligence is actually really tricky to define -- and even harder to measure. Like are we talking about the ability to innovate? To do arithmetic? To remember hiding places? Or are we talking being able to learn from, or maybe deceive, fellow creatures? Even if scientists can agree on what intelligence actually is, they still need to design tests that measure these abilities objectively. And that is not easy. For one thing, food is usually used to motivate animals in the experiments. But if your subjects aren’t hungry, they won’t ...
