The Dolphin Institute - Dolphin Research Echolocation is the process of detecting and identifying objects by emitting sounds, such as the broadband clicks used by dolphins, and listening to the echoes returning from objects reflecting those sounds. A recent discovery we made is that dolphins appear capable of directly perceiving the shapes of objects through echolocation. Prior to this finding, it had been generally assumed that dolphins learned to identify and recognize objects through echolocation by a process of associative learning-by comparing the echoes returning from targets with the visual appearance of those targets. Instead, our work has shown that echolocation can yield an immediate perception of the shapes of objects without any intervention by associative learning. Click here to see a virtual reality VRML of the experimental setup of this study. Pack, A. Back to Top Dolphin Programs | Whale Programs | Education Programs | Our Research | Resource Guide Copyright © 2002, The Dolphin Institute
Animal Intelligence: Birds That Use Tools Animal Intelligence: Birds That Use Tools RELATED TOPICS: Animals The aptly named Dr. RELATED Animal Intelligence: Birds That Use Tools More Video Video by Topic Popular Topics Video Series See All Video Topics » Similar Videos for: Animal Intelligence: Birds That Use Tools Sign In Not a memeber? Email address or Password is incorrect Want the Full Story? How Smart Are Dogs? How Smart Are Animals? PBS Airdate: February 9, 2011 NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON (Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History): Hi, I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson, your host of NOVA ScienceNOW, where this season we're asking six big questions. Meet Chaser. She knows the name of every single one of these? And it's not just her. Look at that intensity. And researchers are finally taking notice. BRIAN HARE (Duke University): A dog is like a soldier of science. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Find Crawdad. BRIAN HARE: If we can figure out how they think, then we'll understand ourselves. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Excellent, excellent, good job! And a trip to paradise, where some of the smartest creatures... TERI BOLTON (Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences): Come on, boy. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: ...who can even read symbols, are also the most talkative. TERI BOLTON: These are his clicks. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: But what are they saying? STAN KUCZAJ (University of Southern Mississippi): Is a whistle a word? Also,... ALEX: Shower.
Elephant cognition Elephants are amongst the world's most intelligent species. With a mass of just over 5 kg (11 lb), elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal, and although the largest whales have body masses twenty-fold those of a typical elephant, whale brains are barely twice the mass of an elephant's brain. In addition, elephants have a total of 257 billion neurons. [1] The elephant's brain is similar to that of humans in terms of structure and complexity—such as the elephant's cortex having as many neurons as a human brain,[2] suggesting convergent evolution.[3] Brain structure[edit] Cerebral cortex[edit] The elephant (both Asian and African) has a very large and highly complex neocortex, a trait also shared by humans, apes and certain dolphin species. Asian elephants have the greatest volume of cerebral cortex available for cognitive processing of all existing land animals. Other features of the brain[edit] Brain size at birth relative to adult brain size[edit] Spindle neurons[edit]
Primate cognition Origin of man now proved. Metaphysic must flourish. He who understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than Locke. Primate cognition is the study of the intellectual and behavioral skills of non-human primates, particularly in the fields of psychology, behavioral biology, primatology, and anthropology.[1] Primates are capable of high levels of cognition; some make tools and use them to acquire foods and for social displays;[2][3] some have sophisticated hunting strategies requiring cooperation, influence and rank;[4] they are status conscious, manipulative and capable of deception;[5] they can recognise kin and conspecifics;[6][7] they can learn to use symbols and understand aspects of human language including some relational syntax, concepts of number and numerical sequence.[8][9][10] Studies in primate cognition[edit] Theory of mind[edit] There has been some controversy over the interpretation of evidence purporting to show theory of mind ability—or inability—in animals.
Animal cognition Animal cognition is the study of the mental capacities of animals. It has developed out of comparative psychology, including the study of animal conditioning and learning, but has also been strongly influenced by research in ethology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary psychology. The alternative name cognitive ethology is therefore sometimes used; much of what used to be considered under the title of animal intelligence is now thought of under this heading.[1] Research has examined animal cognition in mammals (especially primates, cetaceans, elephants, dogs, cats, horses,[2][3] raccoons and rodents), birds (including parrots, corvids and pigeons), reptiles (lizards and snakes), fish and invertebrates (including cephalopods, spiders and insects).[1] Historical background[edit] Animal cognition from anecdote to laboratory[edit] The behavioristic half-century[edit] The work of Thorndike, Pavlov and a little later of the outspoken behaviorist John B. The cognitive revolution[edit]
11 Productivity Hacks to Boost Your Mental Focus Making a dent in the universe requires focus. So we've collated 11 simple and easy to use tips on improving your mental concentration. Most of it is a basic stuff that I tried myself, so I selected what got me the best results. What works for me may not work for you but the best way to find out is to keep testing new ideas all the time ( and eventually adopt what works and move on from what doesn't )! #1. Lack of sleep decreases production of chemicals such as dopamine or adrenaline that regulate your attention. Our tip: Have a fixed time to wake up and go to bed when your body gets tired. - This way you let your body regulate how much sleep it needs. #2. Simple carbs digest very quickly and cause insulin spike which pulls excess glucose out of your bloodstream. Complex carbs take longer to digest delivering your brain a steady supply of energy. Our tip: Eat complex carbs while working. #3. Our tip: Track your energy / focus and mood levels every hour for a week or two. #4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
PsyBlog’s 10 Most Popular Psychological Insights From 2012 How the mind works, the dark side of creativity and how to be a great leader: these and more… Here’s my review of the psychological insights covered here on PsyBlog in 2012 that have proved most popular with you, the readers. 1. How the mind works Never let it be said that the titles for my articles lack ambition! Insights included the fact that suppressing your thoughts is counter-productive, brainstorming doesn’t work and hallucinations are more common than you’d think. 2. Six factors seem to set apart the truly great leaders from the rest: decisiveness, competence, integrity, vision, persistence and, perhaps most surprisingly: modesty. We could really do with some more modest leaders, don’t you think? 3. Creativity is always a favourite topic here on PsyBlog but usually we’re talking about the positive aspects. In fact research suggests that creative individuals are also more likely to be arrogant, good liars, distrustful, dishonest and maybe just a little crazy—OK, let’s say eccentric.
Music Training and Neuroplasticity With our multi sensory brain, music harnesses powers of nature, culture, and mind. How much is the brain changed by the effects of music training and neuroplasticity? Music is one of the most demanding cognitive and neural challenges, requiring very accurate timing of multiple actions, precise interval control of pitch not involved in language, and multiple different ways of producing sound. Auditory and motor actions influence each other in a constant interplay, which is largely unknown. Brain Lesion Effects on Music All brain imaging is done in a time scale of seconds, but the brain functions in the scale of milliseconds. A lesion in the auditory cortex causes “amusia” where a patient can speak and understand everyday sounds, but cannot notice wrong notes in tunes, or remember melodies.Another case, a 71-year-old cellist, had encephalitis and lost ordinary memory, but remembers music. But, recent research shows that when studying infants these differences do not necessarily exist.
30 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Die {Via studioflowerpower on etsy} “Rather than money, than fame, than love…give me truth.” ~ Thoreau I woke up this morning and my life clock marked 30. My first sleep-deprived idea was to pack a small suitcase, get on the first train, move to another country, change my name, change my hair color (or get plastic surgery if needed), and start from scratch. When I don’t know how to deal with life, I hide sometimes. And others, I fight it. By now, I’m good at both: fighting and disappearing. A true warrior doesn’t feel forced to do either, but moves through and with and for life, like water. So after I washed my face and considered the costs of running and those of fighting, I decided to do neither and have some juice instead. {Alkaline Espresso / Click for recipe.} We are a constant process, an event, we’re change. As such, our smaller houses, our temporary homes can only be made of cards. Loving the questions means to love yourself. How much have you loved? You. Comments