Chimpanzees at the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute playing the Inspection Game.
By Jillian Rose Lim
Don’t underestimate the brainpower of a chimp — new research suggests chimpanzees are better than humans at some simple strategy games.
The researchers had chimps play a game in which the animals sat back to back facing computers and took turns selecting one of two blue boxes on the screen. The computer revealed each player’s choice to their opponent, and the player then had to predict what their opponent’s next selection would be based on the last choice. The chimps learned the game more quickly compared to undergraduate students who also played in a separate round.
The game was based on game theory — a field that examines how individuals devise the best strategy based on their opponents' moves in a competitive situation. It's a principle found in many aspects of daily life, from business to sports. When a soccer player decides what angle to take a penalty kick by anticipating the goalie’s response, or a person tries to negotiate a job offer with their boss, these individuals engage in game theory. [Video: Chimps Learn Game Quicker Than Humans]
The researchers speculated that the chimps were able to play so well because they have strong short-term memory and talents for pattern recognition, and they have evolved to be highly competitive.
"Fights with other chimps and dominance hierarchies are central to their lives," said Rahul Bhui, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology who co-authored the study.
Humans, on the other hand, have evolved to strategize and compete using language — a skill they were not able to use in this silent game, Bhui said. Communicating through language is central to how humans coordinate win-win outcomes.. "We have language and widespread cooperation which [chimps] don't need to worry about, and maybe that impairs our performance in these simple competitions,” said Bhui. “Maybe these were costs we paid for other abilities."
Past research has shown that chimps have excellent short-term memories. In 2013, a Japanese researcher presented a videoof a chimp recalling the exact sequence and location of numbers that had flashed briefly on a screen.
The new findings give researchers an even better understanding of chimpanzees.
"The fact that chimpanzees track their opponents more carefully, [and] gain a competitive edge when they can, illustrates how all species can be surprisingly well adapted to challenges which are crucial for their lives, and less important for [humans]," said Colin Camerer, a behavioral economist at Caltech. "It should humble us a little."
In game theory, there is a limit to how many times a strategic game can be won based on how well a person can predict his or her opponent's move — a concept called the Nash equilibrium, named after mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. (portrayed by Russell Crowe in the film "A Beautiful Mind"). The researchers found that the chimps were so good at the game that they came very close to hitting the theoretical limit for how many times the game can be won.
Next, the researchers will look at games that involve both competition and cooperation, as well as games with a number of stages, to see how well chimps' short-term memory can help them cooperate.
The study was published online June 5 in the journal Scientific Reports.
Photo credit: Chris Martin
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But... now this is also, "the Age of Information Exchange", where people are able to communicate with each other very easily from across the planet... we are now quickly able to find the answers to questions, and connect with likeminded "folks" with a few mouse clicks or taps on a screen... we are now building networks of consciousness on vast scales, we are uniting in spirit and intention... and quickly manifesting a new reality. This, I call the "Tidal Wave of Consciousness", as more and more people realize that they have the power of the Universe within themselves... and that we are creating the future with every thought and intention we project into the "field of consciousness".
Today, I see more people than ever before... meditating, doing yoga, eating healthy foods, exercising, using alternative medicines, and becoming empowered in their lives... I see that we are right on track for a global awakening... it is happening now all across the globe.
So, I see "lack" falling into the background... and being replaced by a revolution in consciousness... which is what we are all participating in right here and now... we are "recreating the dream"... one thought/word/action at a time. : )
Blessings...
Bingo!
LOLO Great pic, Feather...too many assholes!
TELEVISION AND VIDEO GAMES ARE DEFINITELY PART OF IT.
FEATHER WINGER: Aint nothing simple about it. Here's scientific proof:
FLUORIDE & INTELLIGENCE: THE 39 STUDIES
After reviewing 27 of the human IQ studies, a team of Harvard scientists concluded that fluoride’s effect on the young brain should now be a “high research priority.” (Choi, et al 2012). Other reviewers have reached similar conclusions, including the prestigiousNational Research Council (NRC), and scientists in the Neurotoxicology Division of the Environmental Protection Agency (Mundy, et al). In the table below, we summarize the results from the 37 studies that have found associations between fluoride and reduced IQ and provide links to full-text copies of the studies. For a discussion of the 7 studies that did not find an association between fluoride and IQ, click here.
Quick Facts About the 39 Studies:
Methodological Limitations
As both the NRC and Harvard reviews have correctly pointed out, many of the fluoride/IQ studies have used relatively simple designs and have failed to adequately control for all of the factors that can impact a child’s intelligence (e.g., parental education, socioeconomic status, lead and arsenic exposure). For several reasons, however, it is extremely unlikely that these limitations can explain the association between fluoride and IQ.
First, some of the fluoride/IQ studies have controlled for the key relevant factors, and significant associations between fluoride and reduced IQ were still observed. This fact was confirmed in the Harvard review, which reported that the association between fluoride and IQ remains significant when considering only those studies that controlled for certain key factors (e.g., arsenic, iodine, etc). Indeed, the two studies that controlled for the largest number of factors (Rocha Amador 2007; Xiang 2003a,b) reported some of the largest associations between fluoride and IQ to date.
Second, the association between fluoride and reduced IQ in children is predicted by, and entirely consistent with, a large body of other evidence. Other human studies, for example, have found associations between fluoride and neurobehavior in ways consistent with fluoride being a neurotoxin. In addition, animal studies have repeatedly found that fluoride impairs the learning and memory capacity of rats under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. An even larger body of animal research has found that fluoride can directly damage the brain, a finding that has been confirmed in studies of aborted human fetuses from high-fluoride areas.
Finally, it is worth considering that before any of the studies finding reduced IQ in humans were known in the western world, a team of U.S. scientists at a Harvard-affiliated research center predicted (based on behavioral effects they observed in fluoride-treated animals) that fluoride might be capable of reducing IQ in humans. (Mullenix 1995)
Summary
When considering their consistency with numerous animal studies, it is very unlikely that the 38 human studies finding associations between fluoride and reduced IQ can allbe a random fluke. The question today, therefore, is less whether fluoride reduces IQ, but at what dose, at what time, and how this dose and time varies based on an individual’s nutritional status, health status, and exposure to other contaminants (e.g., aluminum, arsenic, lead, etc). Of particular concern is fluoride’s effect on children born to women with suboptimal iodine intake during the time of pregnancy, and/or fluoride’s effects on infants and toddlers with suboptimal iodine intake themselves. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, approximately 12% of the U.S. population has deficient exposure to iodine.
Thanks for this info, Malcolm...I'm going to save it for future reference.
Laboratory animals are given the best food and cleanest water. Isn't it amazing what happens to people when fluoride is added to their drinking water? It's a control-freak's dream come true.
Yep and that's why I quit drinking it years ago. When I try to tell my family about the crap they put in our food and drinking water they all just shake their heads and roll their eyes like I'm insane....I tell them they're living proof that it's working. LOL
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