Brand new research published today shows that on simple memory tests, chimps perform better than humans. Not only that, but young chimps are better at the test than adult chimps.
The chimp and human participants were shown a screen with numbers on it. They were then asked to point to the position where a particular number had been and recall the correct sequence of numbers. The chimps consistently outperformed the humans, suggesting that chimps are cleverer than we may have thought. A further conclusion that can be drawn from this research is that the evolution of chimps and humans diverged when humans began to acquire symbollic language. The need for the memory skill in this test reduced when humans were able to give names to items rather than remember their location and description.
To read more and to see an film of the research, go to
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7124156.stm
The chimp and human participants were shown a screen with numbers on it. They were then asked to point to the position where a particular number had been and recall the correct sequence of numbers. The chimps consistently outperformed the humans, suggesting that chimps are cleverer than we may have thought. A further conclusion that can be drawn from this research is that the evolution of chimps and humans diverged when humans began to acquire symbollic language. The need for the memory skill in this test reduced when humans were able to give names to items rather than remember their location and description.
To read more and to see an film of the research, go to
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7124156.stm
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