Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Intelligence and Its Measurement
- Part II Development of Intelligence
- Part III Intelligence and Group Differences
- Part IV Biology of Intelligence
- 17 Animal Intelligence
- 18 The Evolution of Intelligence
- 19 The Biological Basis of Intelligence
- Part V Intelligence and Information Processing
- Part VI Kinds of Intelligence
- Part VII Intelligence and Its Role in Society
- Part VIII Intelligence and Allied Constructs
- Part IX Folk Conceptions of Intelligence
- Part X Conclusion
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- References
17 - Animal Intelligence
from Part IV - Biology of Intelligence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 December 2019
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Intelligence and Its Measurement
- Part II Development of Intelligence
- Part III Intelligence and Group Differences
- Part IV Biology of Intelligence
- 17 Animal Intelligence
- 18 The Evolution of Intelligence
- 19 The Biological Basis of Intelligence
- Part V Intelligence and Information Processing
- Part VI Kinds of Intelligence
- Part VII Intelligence and Its Role in Society
- Part VIII Intelligence and Allied Constructs
- Part IX Folk Conceptions of Intelligence
- Part X Conclusion
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- References
Summary
The ability to assess the intelligence of other species has been constrained because it is not always easy to communicate to other species what we require of them. Furthermore, we tend to define the tasks with procedures designed for us rather than for the species in question. The appropriate assessment of animal intelligence is important, however, because it has demonstrated that although the human capacity for intelligent behavior quantitatively surpasses that of other animals, qualitatively, it is not as different as we generally believe. Furthermore, the intelligent behavior of other species demonstrates that although language and culture contribute to human intelligence, they are clearly not necessary. Finally, although we attribute certain human behavior such as unskilled gambling and cognitive dissonance to our complex social environment, the fact that other species show very similar suboptimal behavior suggests that simpler underlying processes likely are responsible for those behaviors.
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- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence , pp. 397 - 427Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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