Animal Intelligence
Intelligence is defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge. Psychologists have exploited this concept in many ways to try and determine whether non-human animals are capable of intelligence.
From social learning it is logical to assume that, since no-human’s animals are able to both acquire and use new behaviors, they must be intelligent in some way. Heyse stated that there are 6 types of behavior which suggest intelligence. These are imitation, self-recognition, social relationship formation, role-taking, deception and perspective taking. These 6 behaviors are referred to as the theory of mind (Tome).
Imitation is the ability to copy another's behavior, show more content…
This gives a good basis to Tome as intelligence is required to recognize that the mirror image is not another individual. This behavior has been reported in the higher primates.
Gallup's study required chimpanzees to be placed in a cage with a mirror. At first, they reacted like the image was another chimp, but later realized that it was actually themselves. Gallup anaesthetized the chimpanzees then placed a red mark on one eyebrow and ear. After recovering, the chimpanzees would often touch the red mark, when they looked in the mirror. This supports the idea that higher-primates are capable of self-recognition. This experiment was tried out on other animals e.g. cats, dogs, and elephants with unsuccessful results.
The fact that no other animals responded to this experiment means that it cannot be said for sure that all non-human animals are capable of self-recognition. Therefore, some non-human animals do not show signs of Tome. Evolutionary science suggests that the higher primates are distant relatives of human beings, having similar physiology may mean that higher primates are more capable of intelligence.
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