According to a study from UC Berkely, Harvard and Carnegie Mellon, humans and monkeys have the same thinking pattern.
The experiments were conducted on 100 study participants across all age groups, cultures and species. There were people from indigenous regions and those from the modernized world along with monkeys, who all showed, to several different extents, a talent for the cognitive process of arranging words, phrases or symbols in a way that helps convey complex commands, sentiments and ideas. The monkeys even exceeded the researches expectations with their performance.
Sam Cheyette, co-author of the study said, "Our data suggest that, with sufficient training, monkeys can learn to represent a recursive process, meaning that this ability may not be as unique to humans as is commonly thought,"
"For the first time, we have strong empirical evidence about patterns of thinking that come naturally to probably all humans and, to a lesser extent, non-human primates," said study co-author Steven Piantadosi, a UC Berkeley assistant professor. of psychology.
Researchers tested these cognitive skills of 10 U.S. adults, 50 preschoolers and kindergarteners, 37 members of the Tsimane' ( an indigenous group) and three male macaque monkeys.
They began by getting all participants to memorize different sequences of symbols in a particular order. The U.S participants and monkeys used a large touchscreen monitor to memorize the sequences. A sound (ding) went off if they got a symbol in the right place, a buzzer if they got it wrong and a chime if the whole sequence was correct. The monkeys received snacks or juice as positive feedback. The Tsimane' participants, on the other hand, are less accustomed to interacting with computers, and so were tested with paper cards and given feedback verbally.
All participants were then asked to place, in the right order, four images from different groupings shown in random order on the screen. The participants all arranged their new lists in repetitive structures, which is remarkable! The study noted that the preschoolers, monkeys and Tsimane' adults had barely any formal training in mathematics or reading yet performed quite well!
Writer: Thwishaa Mehta
07/07/2020
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