#CORVID #INTELLIGENCE
Ravens are as intellectually 'skilled' as chimpanzees — study
Young ravens showed social and physical skills "on a par" with Great Apes, say German scientists. Their study also suggests that ravens' brains, while different from mammals, are cognitively advanced.
Ravens are on par with Great Apes in cognitive performance, researchers in Germany have found
Eight young ravens, put though cognitive tests often used on chimpanzees and orangutans, exhibited physical and social intelligence "very similar" to adult primates, a study published in Scientific Reports concluded Friday.
The first "large scale" study of ravens' cognitive skills helped to unravel "one of science's great mysteries," researchers said: How avian brains — different from mammals — had evolved, providing "parallel" intelligence over 300 million years.
How was the test carried out?
The common ravens (Corvidae) were hand-raised at the Max Planck Institute (MPG) for Ornithology near Munich. They were released into an outdoor aviary and put through so-called PCTB experiments — often used for Great Apes.
In one test, a raven would select one of three moving cups hiding a food treat, using its beak to peck or point at it, whereas a chimpanzee would use a finger.
Also run were tests on whether the ravens understood causality, had spatial and rotational memory, could communicate by looking and pointing, and exhibited mind capability by following the gazes of others.
Already, at four months, the young ravens demonstrated "full blown" cognitive skills in handling nine physical and six social tasks, said the project's leading cognitive scientists, Osnabruck University professor Simone Pika and MPG's Miriam Sima.
"At four months of age young ravens are already quite independent," said Pika, adding that they aggregated together, and were "cognitively on top of things to deal with these new challenges."
"Our ravens and the great ape individuals showed considerable similarities," said the authors, referring to cognitive skills tested until the birds were 16 months old.
Ravens are as intellectually 'skilled' as chimpanzees — study
Young ravens showed social and physical skills "on a par" with Great Apes, say German scientists. Their study also suggests that ravens' brains, while different from mammals, are cognitively advanced.
Ravens are on par with Great Apes in cognitive performance, researchers in Germany have found
Eight young ravens, put though cognitive tests often used on chimpanzees and orangutans, exhibited physical and social intelligence "very similar" to adult primates, a study published in Scientific Reports concluded Friday.
The first "large scale" study of ravens' cognitive skills helped to unravel "one of science's great mysteries," researchers said: How avian brains — different from mammals — had evolved, providing "parallel" intelligence over 300 million years.
How was the test carried out?
The common ravens (Corvidae) were hand-raised at the Max Planck Institute (MPG) for Ornithology near Munich. They were released into an outdoor aviary and put through so-called PCTB experiments — often used for Great Apes.
In one test, a raven would select one of three moving cups hiding a food treat, using its beak to peck or point at it, whereas a chimpanzee would use a finger.
Also run were tests on whether the ravens understood causality, had spatial and rotational memory, could communicate by looking and pointing, and exhibited mind capability by following the gazes of others.
Already, at four months, the young ravens demonstrated "full blown" cognitive skills in handling nine physical and six social tasks, said the project's leading cognitive scientists, Osnabruck University professor Simone Pika and MPG's Miriam Sima.
"At four months of age young ravens are already quite independent," said Pika, adding that they aggregated together, and were "cognitively on top of things to deal with these new challenges."
"Our ravens and the great ape individuals showed considerable similarities," said the authors, referring to cognitive skills tested until the birds were 16 months old.
Researchers used an experimental test-battery developed for primates, but made it 'raven-friendly'
How will the results be used?
In an ever-changing ecological environment, raven survival relies heavily "on successful cooperation and alliances," and their "cognitive toolkit" to rapidly deal with complex challenges, the authors said.
For future studies, the scientists suggested comparing the cognitive skills of ravens and parrots if experimenters were involved or not involved in hand-raising.
The raven study was carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, once the workplace of behavioral scientist and Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz.
In an ever-changing ecological environment, raven survival relies heavily "on successful cooperation and alliances," and their "cognitive toolkit" to rapidly deal with complex challenges, the authors said.
For future studies, the scientists suggested comparing the cognitive skills of ravens and parrots if experimenters were involved or not involved in hand-raising.
The raven study was carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, once the workplace of behavioral scientist and Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz.
Four-month-old ravens just as intelligent as adult apes, study suggests
The cognitive abilities of ravens are on par with apes, according to new research.
The ravens showed individual differences in their cognitive capabilities, but overall, the eight birds were best at addition and understanding relative numbers, and less adept at spatial memory.
When the authors of the new study compared the performance of the ravens with those of 106 chimpanzees and 32 orangutans, they found the birds -- with the exception of spatial memory -- were just as cognitively capable as the apes.
Authors of the new study suggest the tests show the intelligence of ravens isn't specific to their domain. Their cognitive skills, scientists contend, are exemplary of an impressive general intelligence.
"Our results suggest that ravens are not only social intellects but have also developed sophisticated cognitive skills for dealing with the physical world," researchers wrote.
In followup studies, researchers hope to design tests that reveal the more species-specific cognitive skills.
The cognitive abilities of ravens are on par with apes, according to new research.
Photo by Pxhere/CC
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The cognitive capabilities of four-month-old ravens are on par with those of full-grown apes, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.
Researchers subjected different-aged ravens to a series of experimental tasks to test the birds' spatial memory, communication abilities and learning capacity.
They also tested the ravens' ability to understand relative numbers and addition, as well as their ability to grasp object permanence -- the understanding that an object still exists when it is out of sight.
"For instance, to investigate whether ravens know where food is located, we hid treats under a cup, and moved it quickly back and forth among other cups that were empty, just as one does in the 'shell game,'" study co-author Miriam Sima said in a news release.
"A raven selected a cup by pecking or pointing at it with its beak, while a chimpanzee would have done this with their fingers," said Sima, researcher with the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany.
Testing revealed all eight hand-raised ravens, ages 4, 8, 12 and 16 months, to be of similar intelligence, suggesting the species' cognitive capabilities develop at a rather rapid pace.
It makes sense that ravens reach cognitive maturity by four months. Around the same time, the birds tend to first exert their independence and begin exploring their surroundings.
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The cognitive capabilities of four-month-old ravens are on par with those of full-grown apes, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.
Researchers subjected different-aged ravens to a series of experimental tasks to test the birds' spatial memory, communication abilities and learning capacity.
They also tested the ravens' ability to understand relative numbers and addition, as well as their ability to grasp object permanence -- the understanding that an object still exists when it is out of sight.
"For instance, to investigate whether ravens know where food is located, we hid treats under a cup, and moved it quickly back and forth among other cups that were empty, just as one does in the 'shell game,'" study co-author Miriam Sima said in a news release.
"A raven selected a cup by pecking or pointing at it with its beak, while a chimpanzee would have done this with their fingers," said Sima, researcher with the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany.
Testing revealed all eight hand-raised ravens, ages 4, 8, 12 and 16 months, to be of similar intelligence, suggesting the species' cognitive capabilities develop at a rather rapid pace.
It makes sense that ravens reach cognitive maturity by four months. Around the same time, the birds tend to first exert their independence and begin exploring their surroundings.
The ravens showed individual differences in their cognitive capabilities, but overall, the eight birds were best at addition and understanding relative numbers, and less adept at spatial memory.
When the authors of the new study compared the performance of the ravens with those of 106 chimpanzees and 32 orangutans, they found the birds -- with the exception of spatial memory -- were just as cognitively capable as the apes.
Authors of the new study suggest the tests show the intelligence of ravens isn't specific to their domain. Their cognitive skills, scientists contend, are exemplary of an impressive general intelligence.
"Our results suggest that ravens are not only social intellects but have also developed sophisticated cognitive skills for dealing with the physical world," researchers wrote.
In followup studies, researchers hope to design tests that reveal the more species-specific cognitive skills.
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