Two Crows Took a Classic Psychology Test. Their Decision-Making Skills Left Ours in The Dust.
Two male carrion crows completed a classic psychology task twice as fast as humans and monkeys without losing accuracy. Researchers from the University of Tübingen in Germany found that these birds make decisions based on visual information with greater speed and sharpness than primates. The study suggests that crow brains perform the same decision calculations as monkeys and flies despite lacking a neocortex. This finding challenges previous assumptions that such high-level cognitive processing was unique to primates.
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- ✓ Two male carrion crows made decisions twice as fast as humans and monkeys.
- ✓ The crows maintained accuracy while making decisions at this increased speed.
- ✓ The study was conducted by neurobiologists at the University of Tübingen in Germany.
- ✓ Crow brains perform decision calculations similar to those of monkeys and flies without using a neocortex.
What changed
University of Tübingen neurobiologists tested carrion crows using a psychology task originally designed for humans and monkeys.
Live updates
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Carrion Crows Outperform Humans and Monkeys in Decision-Making Test
Two male carrion crows completed a classic psychology task twice as fast as humans and monkeys without losing accuracy. Researchers from the University of Tübingen in Germany found that these birds make decisions based on visual information with greater speed and sharpness than primates. The study suggests that crow brains perform the same decision calculations as monkeys and flies despite lacking a neocortex. This finding challenges previous assumptions that such high-level cognitive processing was unique to primates.
Why it matters
Corvids, including ravens and jays, have previously demonstrated advanced abilities such as tool use and future planning. This study specifically tests the speed and quality of decision-making based on visual stimuli. It highlights how different brain structures can achieve similar or superior cognitive results.
What is confirmed
- Two male carrion crows made decisions twice as fast as humans and monkeys.
- The crows maintained accuracy while making decisions at this increased speed.
- The study was conducted by neurobiologists at the University of Tübingen in Germany.
- Crow brains perform decision calculations similar to those of monkeys and flies without using a neocortex.
- The test measured how the brain makes decisions based on visual information.
What to watch next
- Peer review of the University of Tübingen study results
- Comparative tests with other corvid species like ravens or jays
- Further neurological mapping of the crow brain's decision-making centers
confidence 95%Sources used for this update (12)
- Phys.org — Crows make decisions twice as fast as humans and monkeys
- ScienceAlert — Two Crows Took a Classic Psychology Test. Their Decision-Making Skills Left Ours in The Dust.
- Smithsonian Magazine — Crows Can Make Decisions Based on Visual Information at Lightning Speed—Roughly Twice as Fast as Humans Can, Study Suggests
- New York Post — Crows make faster, better decisions than humans: study
- DongA Science — [Biology of Romance] Crow, fly and monkey brains perform the same decision calculation without a neocortex
- nypost.com — Crows make faster, better decisions than humans: study
- www.yahoo.com — The Crow Decision That Outpaces Your Brain
- www.sciencealert.com — Two Crows Took a Classic Psychology Test. Their Decision ...
- thedingodaily.com — Two Crows Beat Humans at a Decision Test, Got Paid in ...
- postize.com — Two Crows Took a Test Built for Humans and Monkeys. They ...
- www.europesays.com — Two Crows Took a Classic Psychology Test. Their Decision ...
- www.europesays.com — Crows make faster, better decisions than human beings
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