Hey, Hey, We're The MonkeysI love this story.
...five numbers flashed on the screen only briefly before they were replaced by white squares. The challenge, again, was to touch these squares in the proper sequence.
When the numbers were displayed for about seven-tenths of a second, Ayumu (the Monkey) and the college students were both able to do this correctly about 80 percent of the time.
But when the numbers were displayed for just four-tenths or two-tenths of a second, the chimp was the champ. The briefer of those times is too short to allow a look around the screen, and in those tests Ayumu still scored about 80 percent, while humans plunged to 40 percent.
Yes, that's all very nice... But if you put 1,000 monkeys in front of 1,000 typewriters for 1,000 years... There will be no sonnets produced.
Most mammals are probably superior to humans when it comes to the old shell game.
3 comments:
The test was rigged! They took the fastest chimp, not the average, and pitted it against average (probably public-school-educated) college students, who probably had to stop for a crucial moment to consider their self-esteem to be sure they weren't being species-ist in trying to beat a chimpanzee, before they tried to do the exercises. So, of course the super-chimp whupped their butts.
I'm just glad the funding for this study wasn't my tax dollars.
You stole my thunder Skye!
I wonder if they have to go to monkey-whup-butt rehab?
Great post Chris!
Too funny, and almost scarey too! Thanks for the lift!
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