If you missed it you can watch it on iPlayer at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01by613/Super_Smart_Animals_Episode_1/
This programme had some amazing parallels for demonstrating some elements of the concept of motivation and the hierarchy of needs;
Chickadees which have easy access to food supply become "lazy" and can't work out how to get food when effort is required, whereas the same species of bird that comes from a more challenging region becomes so adept at working and thinking to obtain food that they are able to do so very quickly.
A bulldog who has all the hygeine factors provided for him has taught himself to skateboard since he has the time and the energy; pure self motivated self-actualisation, not a trained "trick".
and this is without the flipping chimp that can memorise sequence after sequence of numbers in less that 0.06 of a second........Planet of the Apes isn't SCi-fi but future history!
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My thoughts
I saw this programme in the context of Techinical Training (yes I know I should get out more)
Quite often, Instructors (in any discipline) will think their Trainees are "really good / clever" etc if they can do what they have been shown. They then get an A, B, C or D exam and "prove" they "know" or "understand"
Give any of those animals a simple problem and they would revert to scratching their bits and pieces again and looking for another banana.
I agree they seemed really clever but I bet none of them could go much beyond copying. ie Monkey See Monkey Do
I always use the Pilot who landed in the Hudson as an example of the opposite end of the scale.
Survival
I’ve had a rethink on this after watching it again at the weekend.
Where Survival is involved animals display superhuman powers to stay alive…
An Elephant finding a watering hole in the desert is almost as amazing as Captain Sullenberger landing his plane in the Hudson. Instincts.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/01/16/us-crash-newyork-idUSTRE50E8AI20090116
Fairness & Teamwork?
What would you make of this video Russ?