People often don't think that animals are that intelligent. Though there are some that many would agree to have intelligence, most people perceive them to act that way because they have been conditioned to do so. But animals can learn as well, and learning makes them intelligent, as a study shows.
Researchers from Stockholm University and Brooklyn College have found out that have much more intelligence than what most people think. The researchers have used a combination of equipment and disciplines in order to show that animals have intelligence. Artificial intelligence, Ethology and the Psychology of Learning have all been used to show that animals can learn.
The researchers have created what is known as an associative learning model in order to see how this intelligence in animals work. This learning model could be used even to an individual level, as said by Magnus Enquist, a Professor of Ethology at Stockholm University. He said that the model has been applied to artificial intelligence, but not to animals yet before the study.
This learning among animals can be seen through the differences between how young and adult animals act, according to the Stockholm University site. Young animals would be cautious about some things, while adult animals would act more on things that they have experience in. This has been the observation of Johan Lind, an Associate Professor of Ethology at Stockholm University.
What animals can learn can be genetically regulated, however. It might not be purely by instinct, but the genes of an animal can determine if it is predisposed to learning in a certain way. The model also shows that animals learn behavior that is counterproductive, as Science Daily reports. That is why some animals do things that might not benefit them. This has been exemplified by a hamster that runs on a wheel for a few minutes.
Today we know much more about animals than we did before, though most still do not consider their intelligence. A study shows that animals can learn as well and it makes them intelligent while learning. Animals are also threatened by environmental pollution, such as the case with Everglades dolphins.
