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Social insects have a way of spoiling intelligence tests. The mirror test is a good example. To recognize yourself in mirror, you need to understand that you a
by netcan 8y ago
Social insects have a way of spoiling intelligence tests.
The mirror test is a good example. To recognize yourself in mirror, you need to understand that you are a person. Not many animals recognize themselves: apes, some ravens, elephants dolphins... all usual suspects known to be intellegnt.
Give them a mirror and once they figure it out they spend the next hour making faces and checking out their own ass. Mark their face and they'll try to clean it in the mirror.
Then ants.
Ants seem to get mirrors too. So either ants are self conscious or the test is no good.
- AstralStorm 8y agoGetting how the mirror works is different from recognizing the object in the mirror as the image of yourself. The test has come trouble differentiating between the two. E.g. the ant might perceive the mirrored marked ant as another ant which would reasonably well fool this test.
- sjeohp 8y agoThey controlled for that using transparent glass with real ants on the other side. https://www.udocz.com/read/are-ants-capable-of-self-recognition-pdf https://www.udocz.com/read/are-ants-capable-of-self-recognit...
- clarry 8y ago> Give them a mirror and once they figure it out they spend the next hour making faces and checking out their own ass. If you've good links, I'd be curious to see this.